


Would You Be So Kind?

by meggidarling



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), Supergirl (TV 2015), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Brief Barry Allen/Winn Schott, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-03-03 09:29:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 31,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13338369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meggidarling/pseuds/meggidarling
Summary: College Sophomore Barry Allen must navigate his first real relationship while also dealing with mixed feelings and his past.\\College AU precisely one person (me) asked for//





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title from 'Would You Be So Kind' by dodie.
> 
> Trigger warnings will appear at the start of each chapter.
> 
> Trigger Warnings: Non-consensual kissing (brief), minor violence and injuries, brief (one sentence) of victim blaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some important info for this story!
> 
> 1) Nora and Henry both die in a car accident when Barry is 11.  
> 2) He's adopted by the Steins (why? I can't write Joe very well and I thought Lily and Barry would be cute siblings)  
> 3) Because his parents don't die in a mysterious way, nor does he need to clear Henry's name, he is not studying to be a CSI.

Central City University Sophomore Barry Allen had never been to a frat party before, and after this, he doubts he ever would again.

The frat house was overcrowded and hot, made worse by the late August humidity, the jungle juice smelt like sweet hand sanitizer, and his ears were ringing. Everything smelt like weed, cheap beer and bad decisions. He promised Iris he would stay until at least 2 a.m., but that was 45 more minutes of this sweaty, dubstep hell and he couldn’t do it. He threw out his still full cup and went to find Iris.

He found her dancing with a pretty, brunette girl (who was dressed a bit too much like a school teacher to be at a party like this). When Iris offered to leave with him, Barry promised he would be okay, as it was only a 5-minute walk to the dorms and it wasn’t that late. Plus, if Iris missed out on a night with this girl, she’ll never let him live it down. So, he walked alone.

Which was stupid.

He was barely a block away from the frat house when he realized that someone was following him. Every time he looked back, the broad man tried (and failed) to hide in the shadows. Plus, the asshole was wearing a reflective silver track suit, which made him stand out against anything he hid behind.

Barry shoved his hands in his pockets and picked up the pace. He heard the footsteps of the man speed up, gaining on him until he was close enough to grab Barry and pull him close.

“Allen.” The voice slurred. “You’ve always looked so pretty in red.”

Barry turned to bravely face the voice, but all sense of courage was lost when he saw who it was. “T-tony. Hey.”

Tony Woodward, Barry’s high school (and middle school and elementary school) bully, stood so close that the he could smell the beer on Tony’s breath and see his blood shot eyes.

“Why’d you run, Barry? I just wanted to talk to ya.” Tony’s grip tightened on Barry’s forearm, blunt nails digging into his pale skin.

“Tony, you’re hurting me!” Barry tried to pull away, which caused Tony to grip even tighter.

“C’mon, now sugar, don’t be like that.” Tony purred. “Stay with me.” He leaned in, pressing his sloppy lips to Barry’s, invading Barry’s senses with the smell of stale beer.

Barry struggled, but Tony was too strong, moving the hand that wasn’t holding on to his forearm to hold his neck in place. Barry let out a whimper, which Tony took as a sign of pleasure.

“Hey, Tin Man! How ‘bout you leave the nice guy alone, huh?” a loud voice boomed somewhere to his left.

Tony reluctantly pulled away, turning to face the mystery man. “Mind your business, pal. Me and my boy we’re just having some fun.”

Barry looked at the man and shook his head, begging him to save him from Tony. 

The man, tall and burly, made eye contact with Barry and nodded. “See, I don’t think that’s true. So how about you do what I asked and back up?” 

Tony growled, pushing Barry to the side. Barry, with his lack of balance, fell to the ground with a thud. Tony landed a few kicks to his ribs before he took a step towards the other man. 

“You shouldn’t have pushed him, Woodward. You should have just walked away.” His savoir shook his head, before pulling his arm back and punching Tony in the face, knocking the drunk man out.

Barry watched in awe, as two other people appeared from the shadows and picked up Tony, nodding at the burly man as they took him away. 

“Thanks Oliver, Jax, I’ll see you guys later.” He nodded as the men walked towards a car, placing Tony in the back seat. 

“No problem, Boss.” The younger-looking one nodded. “See you back at the house.”

With the other men gone, the good samaritan turned back to Barry. “You okay, kid? He didn’t cause too much damage, did he?” 

“Where are they taking him? Who are you?” Barry flinched away from him slightly. “I don’t want any trouble.”

The man put his hands up and backed away slightly. “I’m Mick. They’re just taking Tony back to his friend’s house to sober up. They’re not going to hurt him, no matter how much he deserves it.” 

Barry relaxed slightly. “I’m Barry.”

“Hi, Barry. I’m Mick.” He smiled. “Now, are you hurt?”

Instinctively, he grabbed the arm Tony was holding and winced. His forearm definitely had some hand shaped bruises and finger nail shaped cuts, plus his ribs were killing him, not to mention he could still feel his lips kissing him without his permission. 

Barry looked at him, tears stinging his eyes. He didn’t trust his voice, so he just nodded. 

“Is it your ribs?” 

Another nod, tear falling from his green eyes.

Mick let out a shaky breath. “How do you feel about coming back to my house?” When he saw the way Barry’s eyes widened, he stumbled to explain. “My partner is pre-med, he may be able to help you. He also has some experience with men being fucking creeps.” 

Barry’s brain was yelling that wasn’t a good idea, but when had Barry Allen ever listened to his mind? He nodded.

Mick smiled, offering Barry a hand. He took it gingerly and Mick carefully pulled him up, mindful of his forearm and ribs. “Do you want me to carry you or can you walk?”

That was a good question. While the pain wasn’t unbearable, he was so tired, as if Tony had sucked the life out of him. He shrugged. 

Mick frowned. “The car isn’t too far, want to give it a try?”

Barry nodded, taking a few careful steps. Once he was sure Barry wouldn’t keel over, Mick backed off a little. Getting in the high seat of the car hurt like a bitch, but he did it. Mick put Barry’s seat belt on for him before rounding the car and getting in the front seat. 

Before they drove away, Mick pulled out his phone and sent a text. Probably a heads up to his boyfriend that he was bringing the human equivalent of a kicked puppy home with him. 

Barry was silent for the whole of the short car ride. He alternated staring out the window and staring at Mick, tears still running down his cheeks. His silence did not deter Mick. The man seemed comfortable in near silence, only speaking few times. After ten minutes, they pulled up to a large house. Barry’s eyes widened slightly.

“Other people live with us, but you shouldn’t run into any of them. They’re all either out or asleep.” Mick said, as if sensing Barry’s fears. 

Mick helped Barry out of the car and up the steps. He unlocked the door and led Barry inside.

“Lenny?” He called out. “You here, boss?” 

“Right here, Mickey. Now where’s our patient?” A smooth voice said. 

“Barry’s right here, Lenny. Barry, this is Len, my partner.” Mick chuckled.

Barry turned his head to the direction of Len. His breath caught when he saw just who the voice belonged to. The man was tall, but leaner than Mick. His black hair was also cropped short and he was wearing all black. Between him and Mick, Barry was suddenly very confused as to where all these attractive men were coming from.

‘Len’ chuckled. “Well that’s very kind of you. Mick and I were just wondering the same thing.”

Barry blushed. “I said that out loud?”

Mick laughed. “Yeah, but that’s okay. Now let’s get you all checked out.”

Mick led Barry to a living room and offered him a seat on the couch. Once Barry was seated on the couch, Len sat on the table in front of him, first aid kit in hand.

“Barry, I know this is hard, but can you please take off your shirt, or at least pull it up. I need to look at your ribs.” Len said sweetly.

Barry tensed, which caused another jolt of pain to shoot through his body. He let out a yowl of pain.

Sensing his discomfort, Mick came into his line of sight. “Everything will be okay, kid. It’s just you, me and Len here. We won’t hurt you.”

Barry nodded slightly, unshed tears shining in his eye. He gingerly pulled off his t-shirt, avoiding moving too quickly. 

Len moved in to look at his ribs, keeping his movements clear and slow. He warned Barry before touching him and always kept his touches light. Mick said next to Len, watching his boyfriend work and Barry’s reactions. Once Barry was all patched up, Mick offered to make a snack, leaving Len and Barry alone.

After a few moments of silence, Len spoke up. “You know, if you want to talk about what happened tonight, I’ll listen. I’m sure Mick told you, I’ve had some less than great interactions with men.” 

Barry looked down before nodded slowly. “It just happened so fast. I was just walking then before I knew it, Tony was pulling me against him and shoving his tongue down my throat. I shouldn’t have walked home alone. It’s my-“ 

Len cut him off with a fierce look. “It’s not your fault, Barry. It was Tony’s decision to be an asshole. None of this is your fault, okay Barry?”

Mick returned to the room, carrying a tray with chocolate chip cookies and hot cocoa. “He’s right, Barry.”

Barry averted eye contact. “I know that in theory. In practice…” He trailed off, shrugging his shoulders. 

“I get it. Here, eat a cookie then we’ll drive you back to your dorm.” Mick pushed a large plate towards him.

Barry took a cookie and a mug of cocoa, a small smile slipping on to his face. They didn’t talk too much, but when they did, it was about whatever was happening on the TV in front of them.

Mick and Len drove him to his dorm less than an hour later, dropping him off with a smile and a promise to keep it touch.

It wasn’t until all three of them were snuggled up in bed that they realized they hadn’t exchanged numbers, or even last names.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only triggers in this chapter are mentions of the interaction with Tony Woodward from the chapter before.

It had been a few months since Len and Mick had saved Barry, and he still hadn’t seen them again. Now, it was the middle of November and Barry got roped into being the 7th wheel on a date between Iris, Caitlin (the girl that was dressed like a kindergarten teacher), Cisco (his roommate/best friend), Lisa (Cisco’s girlfriend), and Lisa’s brother and her brother’s boyfriend. Lisa had promised that there would be someone would be there for him, but based on the fact that he was still hung up on Mick and Len, he doubted he would hit it off with anyone but those two beautiful-

‘Stop it Barry’ He growled to himself before pulling on his red cable knit sweater. He ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. This was probably going to be a disaster but at least Cisco promised to pay for his dinner.

“Let’s go, Barry! We’re going to be late and Lisa is going to kill me!” Cisco called from the other room. “I won’t pay for your dinner if you don’t get out here in the next-”

Barry opened his door and stepped into the common area. “I’m right here, Cisco. Calm down, will you? You’re stressing me out and I don’t have to impress anybody.” 

“I’m sorry, Barr. I just haven’t meet Lisa’s brother’s boyfriend yet. I’m a little nervous. Lisa really values his opinion, even more than her brother’s sometimes” Cisco ran his hand through his hair, letting out a large exhale. “That’s why I begged Lisa to let me bring you, Iris and Caitlin. You’re all charmers.”

Barry bumped their shoulders. “Shuddup, Cisco. I’m just an awkward, gangly giraffe.” 

Cisco bumped him back. “A very cute giraffe. Make all the other giraffes go ‘Woo.’”

Barry blushed but didn’t respond. He pulled on a black beanie and grabbed his wallet. “Let’s just go before you sweat through your nerd shirt.”

Instead of responding, Cisco flipped him off and shoved him out the door. 

When they walked into the restaurant, Cisco took off in the direction of Lisa, leaving Barry in the dust. They were late, but only Iris, Caitlin and Lisa were at the table. Apparently, Lisa’s brother and his boyfriend were getting drinks at the bar and his ‘date’ was in the bathroom. 

He greeted Iris, Caitlin and Lisa with a smile and a hug before he plopped down in a chair. 

“I don’t understand how many doors one place can have. It took my five minutes just to find the bathroom!” A new voice complained. 

Barry turned to see a very attractive man, with stunning hazel eyes and artfully messy brown hair that Barry just wanted to run his hands through.

“You’re finally back, Winslow.” Caitlin teased. “This is Barry, your date for the evening.”

Winn moved to sit across from Barry, a large smile on his beautiful face. “I’m Winn. It’s nice to meet you.”

Barry smiled up at him. “Barry. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Winn winced slightly, eyeing Caitlin and Iris. “All good, I hope?”

Barry chuckled. “Of course. I hear you’re studying computer science?”

Barry and Winn engaged in a lively discussion for a little while before they were joined by the last two members of their party.

“Well it looks like the gangs all here.” A familiar voice teased. “Where have you been, Cisco? Would the curls not cooperate?”

“Fuck you, Snart. The curls always cooperate.” Cisco snarked back. “And it’s Barry’s fault we’re late so yell at him!”

Barry looked up when he heard his name and let out a gasp. “Len? Mick?” 

Len looked at him, a similar sense of realization dawning on him. “Why hello, Barry.”

Mick grinned. “Hey, Barry. Didn’t realize you knew Cisco.”

Barry nodded, blush coloring his cheeks. “Yeah, we’re roommates.” 

Cisco looked between the three men, a frown on his face. “You know each other? How?”

Barry looked down at the menu to avoid all eye contact. “They were the ones who helped me after everything with Tony.”

“Oh shit.” Cisco’s mouth dropped open. “The offer to beat him up is still on the table.”

That broke the tension. Barry chuckled. “You can’t beat anyone up, Cisco.”

Cisco shrugged. “Probably not.”

Mick barked out a laugh, patting Cisco on the back. “As long as you know, pal.”

“I already patched you up once, Cisco. Don’t make me do it again.” Len laughed.

Barry felt his heart skip a beat. Mick and Len’s laughs were beautiful.

“I have no clue what to eat.” Barry whined after a little while. “I just want everything.”

Winn chuckled, another beautiful sound. “I hear you, dude. You wanna get a few things and share them?”

Barry thought for a moment. “Of course! Are you in the mood for some mozzarella sticks?”

“I’m always in the mood for mozzarella sticks.” Winn laughed. 

Apparently, he had a thing for beautiful men with beautiful eyes and hypnotizing laughs.  
~*~  
The rest of the dinner was a lot of fun. He exchanged numbers with Winn, Mick and Len. And if Barry was being honest, he had never been attracted to anyone as much as he was to the three of them. He told Iris as much when she came by his dorm the next morning to check in.

“It’s just not fair. They’re all so pretty, Iris.” Barry whined over the cup of tea she had brought him. 

“I knew you would like Mick and Len. I wasn’t so sure about Winn.” Iris smirked. “What are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing.” Barry blushed. “Mick and Len are dating each other, so that wouldn’t work, and it wouldn’t be fair to Winn for me to start anything with him when I’m hung up on Mick and Len.”

Iris pursed her lips. “Okay, two things. One, polyamory is a thing. Two, if you can imagine yourself with Winn, don’t let a crush on two guys you barely know hold you up. Get to know all of them and then decide.”

Barry stared into his coffee cup and shrugged. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Iris tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Of course, I am, now come on. It’s time for our library day. Finals are just around the corner!”

“Less than four weeks.” Barry groaned.

The pair camped out in the library, books and pens surrounding them and their laptops. Caitlin came to join them after an hour or two, bringing them food from their favorite deli on Main Street. She plopped down next to Iris, pressing a kiss to Iris’ temple before taking out her own work. 

Barry felt his heart burn. It’s not that he wanted Iris or Caitlin, he just wanted someone to love him. He wanted someone to bring him his favorite foods while he was pouring over his homework and press kisses to his head and squeeze his hand when he gets overwhelmed. Maybe even two someones to love him.

Barry shook his head and went back to his homework, attempting to focus on paper on the Lavender Scare and not the pain in his chest he felt every time Caitlin whispered sweet nothings in Iris’ ear.

It was close to dinner time when his phone went off. He picked it up, a smile stretching across his face.

Winn: Hey Barry. I hear you and Iris are camped out at the library, but do you think you could be persuaded to leave for a pizza date?  
Winn: Unless you don’t want to, that’s also fine, but I don’t want someone as cute as you to starve in that hell of a library

Barry blushed and put his head down on the table, which got Iris and Caitlin’s attention. 

“What’s up, Barry?” Iris asked, plucking the phone out of his hands. “Oh my god! Caitlin, look at this!”

Caitlin took the phone out of her girlfriend’s hand and smiled. “I told you they might be a good fit!” 

Barry snatched his phone back. “What do I say?”

Iris rolled her eyes. “You say yes, duh.”

Barry looked at his phone and then at Iris. “But Iris…”

Iris looked at Caitlin. “Barry is afraid to go for Winn because he’s attracted to Mick and Len and is afraid he’s using Winn to bounce back.” 

“I understand your fear, but you wouldn’t be this blushy if you didn’t at least like Winn a little bit.” Caitlin pursed her lips. “If it doesn’t work out, you break it off. Just don’t tug Winn along if it turns out you don’t like him.”

“Okay. I’ll go with him.” Barry smiled shyly.

“Good.” Iris began packing up their stuff. “Now c’mon! Library Hobbit-hole chic is not proper date attire.

Barry sighed but began packing up too. There’s no changing Iris’ mind when she’s set on something.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry goes on his first official date with Winn and starts to develop his friendship with Mick and Len.

After going through what felt like 90 outfits, Iris and Caitlin decided on a green cable knit sweater and a pair of black skinny jeans. Surprisingly, Barry was only 5 minutes late. Winn was waiting for him at a table in the center of the pizzeria.

“Sorry I’m late.” Barry said, not even bothering to offer an excuse.

Winn chuckled “It’s okay. I was told by Cisco and Iris not to take it personal because you’re late to everything.”

Barry blushed but nodded. “Yeah, that’s fair.”

Winn laughed again. “So, what were you doing in the library today?”

Barry perked up, happy to talk about a comfortable topic. “I was working on my history paper.” Barry babbled on for a while. Winn, though he did his best to pay attention, soon looked bored out of his mind, which caused Barry to stutter out his apologizes. “Sorry, I guess that’s what you get for going on a date with a history and political science double major.”

Winn smiled, though Barry thought he looked a little relieved. “It’s okay, I’m known to babble a lot about computers and science, so let me know if I bore you.”

“Actually, I know a lot about science, so you wouldn’t bore me.” Barry said. “My adoptive father is Martin Stein, the-”

“THE Martin Stein?! Incredible!” Winn exclaimed, bringing a smile to Barry’s lips. He found it endearing that Winn liked his father’s work so much.

“Yeah, the Steins are pretty great.” 

Winn soon got everything out of his system and smiled at Barry. “So, what do you want to eat?”

The rest of the date went smoothly, and Barry had a lot of fun. He was so focused on Winn, he barely thought of anything (let allow anyone) else. After they left the pizzeria, Winn took Barry on a stroll around campus, ending at Barry’s dorm room at around 8pm. 

“May I kiss you goodnight, Barry?” Winn asked. 

Barry nodded, a blush rising to his cheeks. The kiss was chaste and quick, but Barry felt like he was going to pass out. 

Winn had heard about the Tony incident the first time they met, and while he was careful on their date, Winn never treated Barry like he was made of glass.

“Good night, Barry Allen.”

“Good night, Winn Schott.”

Winn gave Barry’s hand a squeeze. “I’ll see you tomorrow after class?”

Barry blushed again. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

In a moment of courage, Barry pressed another kiss to Winn’s lips before turning on his heels and scurrying back into his dorm.  
~*~  
Monday morning came around far too quickly for Barry. However, he had woken up to a few new texts, so maybe life wasn’t so bad.  
\--  
Winn: Good morning, dear. Can’t wait for our second date tonight  
Barry: It’s just a study date in the library???  
Winn: But we’ll be together and that’s all that matters.  
Winn: Okay that was cheesy but also true so deal with it  
\--

Barry felt himself blush, but decided to move on to the other texts.  
\--  
The Justice League Rejects  
Iris: WE W A N T DETAILS ALLEN!  
Caitlin: ^^  
Cisco: !!!!!  
Lisa: But did you get it??  
Caitlin:^^  
\--

Barry rolled his eyes and decided to ignore them for now. But the next few texts made his heart speed up slightly.  
\--  
-Barry has been added to a group with: Len and Mick  
Mick: Good morning Barry  
Len: want to join us for lunch today?  
Mick: Len is making his eggplant wraps and I have to say, they’re bomb as fuck  
\--

Barry thought for a moment before replying.  
\--  
Barry: I would love to! Time and Place?  
\--

It was barely a second before he got a response.  
\--  
Len: Our place at 12?  
Barry: See you then!  
\--

It wasn’t even 9 am, and Barry Allen was already fucked. 

~*~ Len~*~  
“He went on a date with Winn last night, Lenny” Lisa told him, when she found him and Mick outside the science building.

“Maybe we’re just being friendly.” Len snarked back in an attempt to cover the stab in his chest.

“I know you both like him, Lenny.” She looked at him with pity. “But it’s still early, maybe it’ll work out.”

Mick shrugged. “Even if it doesn’t work out with us and he stays with Winn, at least we gain an awesome friend.”

Len nodded in agreement. “Mick’s right. Now come on, Mickey. We have things to cook.” He tangled his hands with Mick, a surprising, yet comforting bit of PDA, before heading off in the direction of their apartment. 

“Men, I swear to God.” Lisa huffed under her breath. “They’re all idiots.” 

~*~ Barry’~*~  
Barry was on time to lunch with Mick and Len, which surprised even him. He knocked on the door and waited. He heard shuffling around before Mick threw the door open. 

Barry felt his heart beat quicken, but he did his best to smile. “Hey Mick.”

Mick opened the door wider. “C’mon in, Barry. Len is just finishing up lunch.” Mick led Barry to the couch. “Want anything to drink?”

“Whatever you have is fine. I’m not picky.” Barry replied. 

“How about some Dr. Pepper?” Mick asked.

“That’s my favorite!” 

Mick smiled. “Then that’s what you’ll have, Barry. Get comfortable. I’ll be right back.” 

Barry nodded, sitting down in the corner of the longest couch. He smiled as he looked around the small apartment. Pictures were scattered around the room, most of them showing Mick and Len throughout the years. 

After a few minutes, Len and Mick came back into the room, food and drinks in hand. Len gave Barry a large smile before placing a plate in front of him. Len sat on the floor in front of him, tucking his legs underneath his body. Mick sat on the same couch as Barry, but sat with his back against the arm of the chair, so he was facing Barry and Len. They ate in silence for a while before Len spoke up. 

“You wear red a lot.” 

Barry looked at his sweatshirt and blushed. “Yeah, my sister always told me it looked good on me, and we usually go shopping together, so she makes me get a lot of red.”

Mick looked at him. “I didn’t realize you had a sister.”

Barry nodded. “Yeah, Lily. I was adopted by the Steins when I was 11. Lily was already so set in her life, I’m surprised she accepted me at all, but we’re really close now. She’s 4 years older than me.”

Mick smiled. “I was an only child growing up. Luckily, now I have Lisa.”

There was a comfortable silence while the three men finished their food, but Len broke it.

“Are you done for the day, Scarlet?”

Barry rolled his eyes (and blushed) at the nickname. “I wish. I have a 2:00 class and a 3:00 class. Then me and Winn are having a study session in the library. I have a lot to do before the end of the semester.”

Barry missed the way Mick tensed when he mentioned Winn, but Len didn’t. They made eye contact and Mick soon relaxed. 

“Are they interesting assignments, at least?” Mick asked.

Barry shrugged. “I find all history and political science fascinating but I’m sure it’s boring as hell to everyone else. I won’t bore you to death describing them.”

Len chuckled. “I’ve always like history, I just knew I wanted to help people and knew that being a doctor was the way to do that. So, if you ever want to geek out about history, I’m here.” Len leaned in and said in a stage whisper; “And Mick won’t admit it to most, but he likes history too. He just wanted to start his own business more.”

Mick growled playfully, moving to sit next to Len on the floor. “Don’t go telling everyone my secrets now, Lenny.” Mick pressed a kiss to Len’s temple.

Barry felt his heart clench. ‘Fuck’ he swore to himself. ‘I thought I was over them.’ But then again, his heart had done a similar thing when he saw Caitlin and Iris, so maybe he was just jealous of their love.

They talked a bit longer, but eventually Barry had to go to his 2:00 class. He left Mick and Len with a quick hug and a thank you for lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thanks to Kala!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the start of the angst and the real plot of the story  
> Trigger Warnings: Panic Attack (brief and not explicitly called that), discussion of past stalking and graphic violence. A character briefly discusses a hospital stay and knife wounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because this chapter is being posted so late in the day, I'll be posting another in just a few moments.

Barry's classes, as much as he loved both history and his professors, dragged. He spent most of them texting Len, Mick, Winn and Lily. 

Barry head directly to the library after his classes, finding a study room and unpacking his stuff. He sent a quick text to Winn to tell him where he was before he sat down and got started on his work. He was working for a little less than an hour when Winn walked in, the smell of Big Belly Burger following him. 

“Did you bring me food?” Barry asked, perking up.

Winn chuckled, tossing him so a burger and a bag of onion rings. “I sure did. I know you had lunch with Len and Mick but I also know that was almost 5 hours ago and you don’t eat once you really start working.”

Barry eyed him. “How do you know that, mister. We’ve only known each other for a few days.”

Winn blushed slightly. “Iris told me.”

Barry shrugged. “Yeah, she’s not wrong. Thanks, Winn. So, are you ready for the best study date in the world?”

Winn grabbed his hand across the table. “I’m with you, so it’s already better than any other study dates I’ve ever had.”

Barry blushed and shoved his shoulder gently. “Shaddup, Winslow.”

“Make me, Bartholomew.” Winn snarked back.

In a surprising act of courage, Barry surged forward and pressed their lips together in a passionate kiss. Which turned to a make out session. In the middle of the library. God, who was Barry becoming?

They were startled apart by a knock on the window. They looked up to see Lisa’s smirking face. She opened the door. “When I heard the little old librarians were talking about two boys nearly getting it on in Study Room A, I didn’t expect it to be the two nerds.” 

Barry and Winn flushed, starting to stumble over excuses until Lisa raised her hand to silence them. 

“Whatever, horndogs. Just stop scaring the librarians and do some fucking work.” 

And with that she was gone, leaving a flushed Barry and Winn to focus on their education and not the man next to them. 

Around dinner time, they packed up and went to the on-campus café, picking up some food to eat in Winn’s dorm. He had a single room and a Netflix account, so they agreed to spend the rest of the night watching TV together. It was nearly midnight when Barry finally untangled himself from Winn and walked himself back to his room.

~*~  
They met in the library every day for the rest of the week, though they spent most of it talking and getting to know each other (and kissing but not enough to scar any librarians). 

They talked about everything, from their fears, to their family and childhood (both of which were pretty rough) and what they wanted to do when they graduated. On Thursday, it wasn’t until the librarians came knocking to warn them it was almost time for the library to close that they realized the time. They spoke for so long, it was almost midnight and neither of them realized. They had spent nearly 9 hours just chatting, neither of them feeling hunger or soreness from the god-awful chairs. 

When they were packing up the leave, Winn grabbed Barry’s hand, getting his attention. “Wait, can I ask you something?” He asked nervously.

Barry smiled, a wide genuine smile that had Winn grinning back at him. “Anything.”

“I don’t know to say this without sounding old fashioned but, um.” Winn took a shaky breath. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, um will you be my boyfriend?”

Barry’s smile grew even wider before he pressed his lips to Winn’s. “Yes, Winn, I would love to go steady with you.” He teased.

Winn rolled his eyes. “You’re lucky you’re cute.” 

Barry batted his eye lashes. “I try.” 

They shared a quick kiss before linking hands and heading to their dorms.

~*~  
It became a routine. He would have study dates with Winn almost every night, lunch with Mick and Len once or twice a week and Friday night dinner with all their friends. Barry was up front with Winn about his ‘crushes’ on Len and Mick, and he had taken it fairly well. He knew that Barry would never cheat on him and he understood the appeal of Len and Mick (hell, anyone with eyes could see the appeal of Mick and Len).

The past few weeks had been great for Barry. He had a great group of friends (including Len and Mick, who his mind sometimes lingered on for too long) and a great boyfriend and good grades and the semester was almost over, he just had to take two more finals. 

Of course, that meant that the world had to throw a wrench in his plans. 

He had gone down to the mailroom to get his mail. It looked like a bunch of throw away mail until he saw the familiar handwriting scribbled across an envelope in red.

No.

Barry threw the letter in the back of an empty drawer in his desk and left the room, his breath speeding up. He knew in his brain that he should call Winn or Lily for comfort, but that not who his hands dialed.

“Well, well, well, Scarlet. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Len drawled into the phone.

“Lenny?” Barry squeaked out. “I need you and Mick. Please.”

Len sobered up quickly. “We’ll be there in five, love. Are you safe?”

“I don’t know.” Barry said frantically. He let out a shaky breath. “I hope so.”

“Okay, Scarlet. We’ll be right there, don’t move.”

Barry unlocked his door and dropped to the floor in his bedroom, bringing his knees to his chest. Tears were streaming down his face and his breathing was stuttered by the time Mick and Len got there.

“Barry? Doll? Where are you?” Barry heard Mick call from the common area.

“H-here.” Barry replied, his voice more of a croak.

Mick and Len moved into the room slowly, making sure Barry would be able to anticipate all of their movements. They sat on the floor across from him, leaving a large distance between them.

“Barry, honey. What’s wrong?” Mick said, in the gentlest voice Barry had heard him use. “Talk to us.”

Barry took a sharp breath. “He’s back.”

Len tilted his head to the side. “Who’s back? Tony?” 

Barry shook his head wildly, more tears spilling from his eyes. “No. Not Tony. He’s worse. So much worse.” 

“Barry please, talk to us." Len begged.

Barry took a stuttered breath. “Eobard.”

Len and Mick looked at him quizzically but didn’t pressure him to talk. Instead, they offered him their embrace, which Barry took gratefully, pressing he cheek into Mick’s chest. After a few more moments, Barry spoke again, his voice still rocky from the tears.

“Eobard was the older brother of one of Iris’ friends, Eddie. He’s only maybe a year or two older than me.” Barry took another shaky breath. “From the moment I met him at the end of my junior year of high school, I knew something was off about him.

“He would go out of his way to sit near me, always touch my back or my thighs. He was overly possessive, chased away anyone who even looked at me. He seemed to think we were dating. He had this image in his head that we were the happiest couple, but I barely even knew him.”

Barry stopped for a minute, fear bubbling up in his chest again. 

“It’s okay, Red. You don’t have to tell us everything.” Mick said, his voice smooth and even.

Barry shook his head. “No, I need to talk about it. I’ve only ever told Lily and I’m not even sure if she knows all of it.”

Len nodded. “Whenever you’re ready, Scarlet. Take your time.”

“About a month before graduation, he started texting me every day and showing up at the Stein’s if I didn’t answer every few days.” Barry gulped. “He scared me. I finally told him that I didn’t love him. God, I thought he was going to kill me.

“He was so angry. He pushed me against the side of the house when I tried to go back inside and grabbed my throat. He kept saying shit like, ‘If you won’t be mine, Barry, you surely can’t be anyone else’s.’ He kept smashing my head against the wall while cutting off my air.” 

It was taking everything out of Mick and Len not to find this man and kill him. The younger man looked so broken. He looked younger than his 20 years. 

“I must have blacked out because I woke up in a hospital bed with Lily, Martin and Clarissa sitting around me. Apparently, Lily came home right after Eobard stabbed me in the stomach.” Barry pulled away and lifted his shirt to show a scar. “He missed everything important, but it still did a number on me. He got arrested for assault, but he somehow, he got away with it. Mistrial or something ridiculous.” 

Len and Mick tensed up as they regarded the scar. It was fairly noticeable, bigger than a quarter. 

“That’s why I went to Star City for my freshmen year. I wanted to get away from Central. I was hoping he wouldn’t find me, but I missed it here. I missed Iris and Wally and the Steins.” Barry shrugged, settling back into Mick and Len’s arms. “So, I came home for this semester. 

“He found me. I don’t know how but he found me and left a letter in my mail box.” Barry pulled back to look at their faces. “God, how did he find me?”

Len pat his back. “We’ll keep you safe, Barry.”

Barry deflated, clearly cried out all his energy. He slumped into Mick’s chest.

Mick nodded, petting Barry’s hair. “Let’s get you into bed, Scarlet.”

Barry just nodded sleepily, allowing himself to be picked up and placed in his bed. Len and Mick pulled the blanket over him, then turned to leave.

“Wait.” Barry said in a small voice. “Will you stay? E-Every time I close my eyes I see him. I can’t-“ He started sobbing again, thin body shaking.

Mick and Len looked at each other before they rushed back in to the room. They plopped down on the floor next to his bed. 

“Of course, we’ll stay, Barry. Do you want us to call anyone? Winn? Or Lily?” Len asked gently. 

Barry knows that he should want Winn there, but he can’t imagine telling the story again, especially not to Winn. He was far too tired. He shook his head. “Can you just stay until Cisco gets home? It shouldn’t be too much longer. If you can’t stay I get it- god you probably had plans-” Barry babbled until Mick cut him off. 

“We’re fine Barry, just sleep.”

Barry nodded slightly. “Thank you.”

He expected it to be a restless sleep, but with Mick and Len whispering to each other by his side, he was out in minutes. He only woke up once, when Mick and Len pressed kisses to his forehead and bid farewell to Cisco (at least, he thinks that’s what happened).


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, which is part of the reason I wanted to post it with Chapter 4. There might be another upload tomorrow. I haven't decided yet.

It’s been a few days since Barry told Mick and Len about Eobard. They haven’t treated him any differently, but they did go out of their way to check on him. He thinks Winn might be a little jealous of them, but Barry does his best to prove that there’s nothing to worry about. 

Now it was finals week, so he hasn't had a lot of time to see anyone, but he always made time for Winn. Even if it was for coffee in between study sessions, he saw Winn as much as he could.

Winn was finished with finals before Barry, and he was the only one out of all their friends that didn’t live in Central, so he was leaving early the next morning. He and Barry were spending a last few minutes of alone time together when he turned to face his boyfriend of a month.

“Barry, baby. We need to talk.” Winn said, his voice surprisingly serious. 

Barry turned to look at the other man, lazy smile on his face. “What’s up?”

Winn took a deep breath. “We need to break up.” 

Barry inhaled sharply, grin slipping off his face. “W-What?”

Winn winced. That had come out a lot harsher than he meant it to. “I mean, I know your heart is not in this.” He put his hand up to stop Barry from interrupting. “Please, just let me finish. I know you like Mick and Len more than you let on. I know you didn’t do anything maliciously. I know you think you don’t like them any more than you told me, but I think you’ve grown to love them.”

“Winn…” Barry breathed out.

“It’s okay, Barry. If we’re being honest, I’ve found someone that could be my Mick and Len. I want you to be happy, Barry. And I want to be happy.”

“I really wanted to love you, Winn Schott”

Winn smiled wistfully. “And I really wanted to love you, Barry Allen. But we’re much better off as friends.” 

“Friends?” Barry asked, hopefully. 

Winn laughed. “Of course. You’re not getting rid of me that easy, Allen. Now, go get your men.”

Barry sighed. “Winn, it’s not like that.”

Winn smirked. “I know you think that, Barry. But for once, I think you’re wrong.”

“I’ll see you later?” 

Winn nodded. “I’ll see you at Iris’ end of the semester party tonight. Bye, Barry”

“Bye, Winn.”

Barry walked back to his dorm, thinking over what Winn had said. He couldn’t like Mick or Len, could he? Sure, his mind wandered to thoughts of them quite frequently, and he also dreamed of them, but that didn’t mean anything, did it? But when he had gotten scared, he called them and not Winn. And even now, he felt himself wanting to call them and not Lily or Iris or Cisco. 

So, he did.

“Hey, Barry. What’s up?”

“Hey Mick.” His voice was weak. “Are you and Len busy? I could use some company.”

“Oh Barry.” Mick cooed. “You sound exhausted. Come on over, me and Len will make something for you to eat.”

So that’s how a freshly single Barry Allen ended up on Mick Rory and Leonard Snart’s couch, wrapped up in a Supernatural blanket and clutching a cup of hot chocolate.

“Is everything okay, Barry? You didn’t get another letter, did you?” Len asked gently.

Barry shook his head. “No, thank god.” He winced slightly, cheeks flaming. “Winn broke up with me.”

Len and Mick did their best to keep their faces neutral, even though part of them was oddly happy and the other part wanted to have a stern talking to with Winn for having put such a sad expression on Barry’s beautiful face. 

“Oh, Barry.” Len said, patting his back gently. 

“The thing is, I’m kind of relieved. Does that make me a bad person?” Barry croaked.

Mick took his free hand. “No, Barry. It doesn’t make you a bad person. I promise.”

Barry nodded, perking up the tiniest bit at the contact. “We’re still best friends. He just said we weren’t going to work out and he was right.” 

Len smiled. “I’m glad, Barry. Now, why don’t we order a shit ton of pizza and watch some documentaries?” 

Barry’s face split into a grin. “That sounds perfect.”

While they ate, Barry somehow ended up with his feet in Mick’s lap and his head pillowed in Len’s lap. The documentary was long over, but Mick and Len were letting Barry babble about history, only instead of looking bored like Iris or even Winn, they were paying attention. Asking questions and laughing at his jokes. It made his heart skip a few beats 

‘Shit’ Barry thought ‘Maybe Winn was right’  
~*~

Winn and Barry kept to their word at the party. They were as friendly as ever, laughing and joking.

While Mick and Len were happy that Barry was happy, they wished he was happy a little bit closer to them.

They did their best not to glare as Barry and Winn laughed at something that Lisa said, standing a little too close to each other for 2 people who just broke up. 

“Is there a reason you’re trying to murder Winn with your eyes?” Cisco asked from behind them, causing the two juniors to jump slightly.

Len turned around, squinting his eyes. “Mind your business, Francisco, or I’ll shave your head.”

Cisco put his hands up in defense and backed up quickly, mumbling something along the lines of ‘fine, pine over each other for no reason, see if I care’ under his breath.

Mick growled and did his best to focus on anything but Barry. (not that it worked)  
~*~ 

“So, when are you going to tell Barry he crashed your date the other day?” Lisa asked Len on their bi-weekly sibling dinners. 

“Never, Lisa. He needed some friends. I don’t blame the kid. Sure, he and Winn weren’t together for long, but that was his first real relationship.”

Lisa rolled her eyes. “At least now you can make your move.”

Len sighed. “What part of ‘just-got-out-of-his-first-relationship’ did you not hear?”

“Oh, I heard it, I’m just ignoring it because you’re an idiot. That excuse is ridiculous. If he thinks it’s too soon, he’ll tell you. You and Mick don’t get to make that decision for him.” Lisa crossed her arms and squinted her eyes at him. “Plus, is there ever a good time in life? By your standards, it's always going to be a 'bad time.'”

Len thought for a moment. “Yeah, that’s fair. I’ll talk to Mick.”

Lisa lightly punched his shoulder. “Then get out of here and go get him. I’ll pay, and you’ll owe me one. Now, go! Shoo!”

Len narrowly avoided Lisa’s napkin as he scurried out of the restaurant. 

He found Mick lounging on the couch. “Mickey?”

Mick looked up and smiled. “Hey, boss. What’s up?”

Len plopped down next to him and intertwined their hands. “I think it’s time we make some moves with Barry.”

Mick grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Len laughed. “Yeah, you can thank Lisa for that. She pulled my head out of my ass and reminded me that if Barry think’s it’s too early or he doesn’t like us, he’ll tell us. But we can’t assume any of those things.”

Mick nodded. “I think she’s right, Lenny. We all deserve to be happy. But let’s take it slow, test the waters. Invite him to dinners. Stuff like that.”

Len thought for a moment. “Agreed. Let’s see if Barry wants to have dinner tonight.”


	6. Chapter 6

Barry was sitting with Lily in the Stein’s dining room. It was a few days after he and Winn had broken up and he had finally finished finals, so he was home until mid-January. Even though he only lived 5 minutes from campus, Clarissa still insisted he dormed. That being said, he was glad to spend the next month at home and not in his dorm. 

“So, tell me all about the past couple of months! With your midterms and finals, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” Lily chirped, handing him a cup of tea. 

Barry took it happily, smiling at his sister. “It’s been a whirlwind, I’ll tell you that. Winn and I broke up a few days ago.”

Lily frowned. “Oh, Bear! Are you okay?”

Barry nodded. “Yeah. It was pretty amicable. He said that my heart wasn’t in it and neither was his.”

Lily titled her head at him. “And is it? Is your heart with another?”

Barry blushed and ducked his head. “Maybe.”

Lily squealed. “Tell me about them!” 

“Well, their names are Mick and Len. They’re juniors.”

Lily thought for a moment, and the paused maybe Barry think she was going to judge him, but she didn’t. “Aren’t those the guys who helped you after that asshole harassed you?”

“Yeah they are. Len is Lisa’s brother, so I met them again through her.”

“When can I meet them? I want to thank them for helping you.” Lily said.

Barry laughed. “No, you don’t! You just want to size them up and see if they’re good enough for me!”

Lily smirked. “I can do both, Barry.”

Barry rolled his eyes. “You’ll meet them soon, I promise. But you don’t need to size them up, I don’t think anything is going to happen between us.”

Before Lily could respond, Barry’s phone rang. He picked it up and blushed, realizing it was a text in the group chat he had with Mick and Len.  
\--  
Len: Hey Bear! We hope you’re all settled at home! Me and Mick we’re wondering if you wanted to come for a movie night tonight?  
Mick: We have hella food and good movies!  
Len: Also we’re good company, if you need any more convincing  
\--  
Barry smiled, which caught Lily’s attention.

“That’s them, isn’t it?” 

Barry blushed and nodded. “Yeah, they invited me for a movie night, but you, me and Clarissa were supposed to watch-”

Before Barry could finished, Lily was shouting. “Mom! Can you come here for a second?!”

“Lily, you don’t have to-” Again, Lily cut Barry off with a look.

Clarissa appeared in the doorway. “What is it, dears?”

Lily smirked. “Barry was just invited to have a movie night by two men that he finds very attractive, but isn’t going to go so he can watch movies with us.”

Clarissa gasped. “Absolutely not!”

Barry sighed. “Clarissa…”

“Don’t ‘Clarissa’ me, young man! You will go to their house and that’s final. I will not stand in between my son and a potential love life.”

Barry rolled his eyes, but decided not to argue anymore. “Okay, I’ll go. But we’re rescheduling our movie night.”

Clarissa waved him off. “Of course, we will, Barry. We have a month for family time. Now go have a good time.” 

Smiling, Barry pulled out his phone and sent a text to Mick and Len.  
\--  
Barry: I’d love to! I’ll walk over to yours  
Mick: Walk?!  
Len: Absolutely not scarlet. It’s way too cold We’ll come get you  
Mick: Send us your address. We’ll be there in 10.  
\--  
Barry sighed, but sent them his address. 

Lily looked over at him, smirking at her brother’s flushed cheeks. “Did you need a ride there, Barry?”

Barry blushed. “No, thanks. They’re coming to get me.”

Both women erupted into cheers. Apparently, it was loud enough to get Martin out of his work shop.

“What is the meaning of all this shouting? It is distracting me from important research!” He said grumpily, though his eyes softened when he saw his wife and daughter bouncing happily around his son. 

Lily stopped her celebrating and looked at her father. “Barry has a date!”

Martin looked at Barry with a raised eyebrow. “Does he?”

Barry blushed. “It’s not a date! It’s just three guys hanging out watching some films hanging out.” 

Lily rolled her eyes and slapped his shoulder. “Whatever, nerd. Just make sure they come in, so I can talk to them.” She looked at Clarissa and Martin. “They saved Barry.”

Clarissa’s mouth dropped open. “After the issue at the start of the semester?”

Barry nodded. 

Clarissa smiled wildly. “Then they have to come in! I think I have some cookies, should I put them on a nice plate?”

Lily patted her mom on the back. “I don’t think so, Mom. Let’s just go sit in the living room so Barry doesn’t have an excuse to run off without us meeting them.”

Clarissa and Lily grinned evilly, following Barry to the living room. He shot Martin a pleading look, but his adopted father just rolled his eyes and put his hands up, as if to say, ‘You’re on your own, kid,’ before following the two women into the living room. 

By the time Barry joined his family in the living room, He didn’t even have time to sit down before the doorbell rang. When he moved to go get it, Lily stopped him by pushing him down and running to get the door. 

She threw open the door, a large smile on his face. “You must be Len and Mick. Barry is just in the living room. Come in, come in out of the cold.” She opened the door wider, so the two men could come in. 

The three of them turned the corner and came into view. Len and Mick looked beautiful, snowflakes on their eyelashes and in their hair. Len had on a blue jacket and a black scarf wrapped around his neck. Mick was wearing a thick, tan jacket and red gloves. They looked even taller than usual next to Lily’s smaller frame, which made Barry swoon. 

Mick and Len gave large smiles to Barry, which he returned. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the smirks Lily and Clarissa were sending him.

“Hey, Lenny. Hey Mick.” Doing his best to ignore his sister and adoptive mother, Barry went to hug the two older men. Len pressed a kiss to the top of Barry’s head and Mick copied the motion on his forehead. Again, he saw Clarissa and Lily high five each other before Len and Mick moved over to greet them. 

“You must by Mrs. and Dr. Stein.” Len said smoothly. “Barry has told us so much about you. I’m Len.” He put his hand out to shake Clarissa’s hands before moving over to Martin.

Mick moved with him and shook their hands as well. “I’m Mick. It’s nice to meet you, Dr. and Mrs. Stein.”

Clarissa smiled brightly, moving to stand beside her husband. “Please, call me Clarissa. It’s lovely to meet you. I hear you’re the two boys who saved our darling Barry from that Woodward brat?” 

Mick and Len blushed slightly, and Barry’s heart skipped a beat. They were so beautiful, and they were standing in his living room. Out of the corner of his eye, Barry could see Lily shooting him a look that said, ‘you’re a lovestruck fool,’ but Barry just ignored it. Instead he went to stand with his adoptive parents and his crushes stood.

“They sure did save me, Clarissa. Tony hasn’t even looked in my direction since that night.” Barry said happily. “We should get going. I’ll see you guys later, okay?”

“Of course, dear.” Clarissa pat Barry’s cheek then looked back at Mick and Len. “Why don’t you boys come for dinner tomorrow night? I’d love to cook for you as a thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank us, ma’am. But we’d still love to come to dinner.” Mick smiled.

“Great. We’ll see you boys tomorrow!” Clarissa chirped.

“Nice meeting you, boys. Be careful in the snow it’s supposed to become unbearable tonight.” Martin warned gently. 

“We’ll be careful, Dr. Stein. Have a good night.” Len said, charming as always.

Barry walked to the door, Mick and Len behind him. He pulled on his red pea coat and a black beanie. He opened the door and was surprised by the shear amount of snow. The three of them rushed to Mick’s SUV. Barry got in the backseat, a large smile on his face. 

“I didn’t realize how bad it got. Thank you, guys, for coming to get me.” Barry said, buckling up.

Mick put the key in the ignition and blasted the heat. “It’s not a problem, Barry. We’re just glad you agreed to brave the storm to hang out with us.”

Mick backed out of the driveway carefully. Once he was on the main road, he put his hand on the center console. Len took it, pressed a kiss to Mick’s knuckles and rested their interlocked fingers on the console. Barry felt his heart ache, but unlike before, he knew it was because he wanted the two of them. Instead of torturing himself any longer, Barry decided to look out the window. After a few moments, they pulled up to Len and Mick’s house.

“I think our roommates are home, but they’re pretty great. You’ll like them.” Len explained when he saw Barry eying all the cars in the driveway.

“Are the guys who helped me with Tony here?” Barry asked.

Mick thought for a moment. “Oliver might be. Jax is probably out with Hartley and Wally.”

Barry’s eyes widened in recognition. “That was Jax Jackson?”

Len titled his head. “Yeah. He’s dating Iris’ little brother.” 

Barry chuckled. “Wally is a year younger and a foot taller than Iris, he’s hardly little. I just hadn’t put two and two together.”

Len hoped out and scurried to open the door for Barry. Barry stepped out, blushing slightly. “Thank you, Len.”

Len smiled. “No problem, Scarlet. C’mon let’s get inside.”

Mick came around the car. Barry walked to the door, Mick and Len on either side of him. He was so focused on not staring at either man, he didn’t see the patch of ice. He felt the feet slip out from under him and was prepared to hit the icy ground. 

But he never did. 

Instead, he felt two pairs of warm arms wrap around him, Len’s around waist and Mick’s grabbing his arm. 

“Easy there, doll. We don’t need a trip to the hospital tonight.” Mick said gruffly in his ear.

Barry blushed, standing up on his own. “S-sorry. I’m a bit clumsy.”

“A bit? Barry, from what I hear, you’re more than just a little clumsy.” Len chuckled. 

“Shut up. I was promised films and food, not teasing!” Barry whined.

“You underestimate our ability to do both, Scarlet.” 

Mick rolled his eyes and pushed the door open. “You can leave your shoes over there. Should we watch in our room or the living room?”

Leonard thought for a moment. “It doesn’t matter to me. Do you have an opinion, Barry?”

Barry took his off his shoes, hat and jacket. “Not really. Where ever your most comfortable, I guess.” 

“Let’s see where everyone else is and then make a decision.” Mick said. 

Mick led them through a doorway to the living room. A tall, muscular man was lounging on one couch while two women, one blonde and one brunette, were sitting on the other. Upon further inspection, Barry recognized the man as Oliver Queen, son of a billionaire and one of the guys who helped him with Tony.

He must have heard them approaching because he stopped his conversation with the two women to look at Barry. He smiled a small smile at Barry and gave him a friendly nod. His companions also looked up at him, standing up to great them. 

“You must be Barry! I’m Laurel and this is my sister Sara. We live here with Oliver, Len, Mick and the rest of the guys.” The taller, brunette woman said. 

Barry gave both of them a shy smile. “It’s very nice to meet you.” 

Before they could talk anymore, three other man came into the room, arguing loudly. 

“I’m telling you, Hart, this is going to work. We did the calculations.” Jax, Barry recognized him as, exclaimed.

‘Hart’ rolled his eyes. “There is no way I’m allowing you two idiots to go sledding into traffic. You’re both adults, act like it.”

Jax and Wally pouted, but Hart ignored them. When it looked like their arguing was going to continue for a while, Oliver cleared his throat, which stopped them in their tracks. They looked over with wide eyes. Eyes that soon landed on Barry. Wally rushed over to give his friend a hug.

“Hey man! I haven’t seen you in forever. Iris mentioned that you were back home, but I didn’t believe her, because I hadn’t seen you around! Let me introduce you to my boyfriends. This is Jax and Hartley.” Wally said, reminding Barry of an excited puppy.  
Jax gave him a smile and wave.

Hartley regarded him with calculating eyes before shooting him a sly smile. “Hey, Barry. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Before Barry could ask more, Len jumped in. “Why don’t we go get settled in the other room, Barry. Mick is just going to heat up the food.”

Barry allowed himself to be pulled into Mick and Len’s room and pretended that he didn’t see the death glare that Len and Mick gave Hartley.

The bedroom was fairly clean, even though the desks and bookshelves were cluttered with papers and books on various topics. The bed was huge, sitting in the middle of the room, but it did little to dwarf the large room. There was a TV resting on the wall across from the bed. 

“Make yourself comfortable.” Len said, plopping on the bed.

Barry stood awkwardly for a moment, unsure of where to sit. After a few seconds, Len raised an eyebrow. Barry decided to swallow his fear and crawled onto the bed, resting his back on the headboard. Len was lounging next to him, searching to find a good movie. 

Mick came into the room holding a tray piled high with homemade pizza and hot chocolate, along with popcorn and a few bottles of water. He put the tray on one of the side tables before climbing into bed on Barry’s other side. 

“Have you found any good movies, Lenny?” Mick asked, handing Barry a plate and a cup of hot chocolate piled high with colorful mini marshmallows. 

Leonard frowned at the screen. “Not really. Any ideas?” He asked, taking his own mug and plate from Mick. 

“What about Brooklyn Nine-Nine? We can use my Hulu account if you want.” Barry suggested around a large mouthful of pizza.

Mick smiled. “I don’t think we’ve ever watched it. Is it any good?” 

Barry swallowed his food before he began speaking again. “Oh, yes! I really like it. It’s silly and easy to watch.”

Len nodded. “Brooklyn Nine-Nine it is.” 

The three sat together, happily eating their pizza and watching the show. They were halfway through the 4th episode when a shiver went through him. Len and Mick must have notice because he was soon wrapped up in a blanket. 

“Thank you.” He mumbled, tugging the blanket around him even tighter.

Mick chuckled. “No problem, Doll. Are you tired?” 

“No…” He replied, but was betrayed by a long yawn. 

“Sure, you’re not, buddy. Here lay down. It can be nap time.” Len laughed. 

Barry did as he was told, tucking his face in the pillow given to him. He felt the bed shift as Mick and Len moved to leave. “No, stay. It’s too cold to not cuddle.” 

Barry’s not sure what came over him to make such a request, but he’s glad it did.

Mick and Len shared a look before climbing back into bed, each throwing an arm around the younger man. Barry nestled into their embrace as they all drifted into a restful snooze.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, fluffy filler chapter but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Barry was woken up by a knock on the door. Slowly, he untangled himself from Mick and Len to open in it. He swung it open, revealing Oliver.

Oliver regarded his sleepy eyes and messed up hair with a small smile. “Hello Barry. Sorry to wake you.”

Barry smiled sleepily. “That’s okay, Oliver. What time is it?”

“It’s a little after 8.”

They had been asleep for nearly two hours. Barry hadn’t had a nap that good in ages.

“Shit, I don’t think we meant to sleep for that long.” Barry replied.

Oliver chuckled lowly. “I figured you didn’t. That’s why I came to wake you. The snow didn’t let up while you were sleeping. I don’t think it’s safe for you to make the drive home tonight.” 

Barry looked out the window behind Oliver. Everything was coated in snow and ice and the clouds didn’t show signs of stopping. “Shit. I guess I’ll have to walk it.”

Oliver smirked. “Funnily enough, Barry, I don’t think they’ll mind you staying the night.”

Before Barry could ask Oliver what he meant, he was disappearing down the hall into the arms of two men, one was taller than him, the other was slightly shorter. 

Barry moved back into the room and crawled back into bed. He wasn’t sure how to wake either sleeping man. He didn’t want to frighten them. He decided that Len would be the easiest. He poked Len’s cheek and nose, gently whispering his name. Eventually, Len’s eyes cracked up, a sleepy scowl on his face. If Barry was being honest, Len kind of looked like an angry kitten. He wanted to kiss that stupid scowl of Len’s stupid face.

“You’ve gotta get up, Lenny.” Barry whined when Len grabbed him around the waist, buried his face in the crook of Barry’s neck and closed his eyes. “As cute as you look, I have to talk to you and Mick, Lenny.”

Barry could feel Len blush at his words. He pulled back and looked at Barry in the eyes, a small smile on his face.

“Good.” Barry huffed, patting his cheek. “Now, how can I wake up your boyfriend?” 

“Well.” Mick’s gruff voice said in his ear. “You could keep making all that noise, Doll. Your laugh could probably wake the dead.”

Now it was Barry’s turn to blush. “Sorry.”

Mick sat up, patting Barry’s shoulder. “Don’t be. It’s cute.”

Barry sat up, pulling Len with him. “So, while you two sleeping beauties were dead to the world, Oliver came by.”

Len raised an eyebrow. “What did Ollie want?”

“He came to warn us that the snow got worse and that it’s not a good idea for you to try and drive me home, so I’m going to have to walk-”

“Absolutely not!” Mick and Len exclaimed in unison. 

Barry rolled his eyes. “It’s not that far, I promise. I’ll be fine.”

Len pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s like ten degrees and snowing. Like hell you’re walking. You’ll catch a chill.”

“Plus, Martin, Clarissa and Lily will all kill us. We promised we’d keep you safe tonight.” Mick added.

Barry threw up his hands. “Then what am I supposed to do? I’m not letting you drive.”

Len looked at him like he had three heads. “You’ll stay here?”

Barry calmed at that. They wanted him to stay? “But I don’t have clothes? Or a toothbrush.” 

Mick waved his hand. “We have spare toiletries and you can wear something of ours.”

Barry grinned devilishly. “Okay.”

Leonard squinted his eyes at him. “What’s with the Grinch Smile, Scarlet?”

“You’re basically given me permission to steal all of your sweatshirts.”

“Wait, no we didn’t.” Mick squawked at him.

Barry started to slither out of bed. “Yes, you did. Prepare to be chilly!” He laughed evilly.

He skipped over to Mick and Len’s shared dresser. He found a large black sweatshirt with Stitch on it. He tugged it on before moving back to the bed. “Which one of you scary hockey players is a Lilo and Stitch fan?”

Len smiled, putting his hand up. “That would be me. It really hit home when I was younger. I was Nani, Lisa was Lilo and Mick was a combination of Stitch and David.”

Barry giggled wildly. Mick made a face that made him look as if he had just sucked on a lemon which made Barry laugh even harder. Eventually, Barry’s infectious giggles spread to Mick and Len.

Once they’d calmed down, Mick turned to look at Barry. “Do you want a pair of sweats? Lenny has an older pair that might fit you?” 

Barry winced at the idea of sleeping in jeans. “Yes, please.” 

Len nodded and pulled himself out of bed. He strolled into the walk-in closet and emerge a few moments later with a pair of black sweatpants. “The bathroom is through that door. We share it though, so make sure you lock both doors. There’s an extra toothbrush behind the mirror”

Barry nodded and walked through the door just next to the closet. He locked both door quickly and changed. Between the sweatshirt and the pants, Barry was swimming in the clothing, but he thought he looked cute. And he hoped Len and Mick thought so too. He splashed some water on his face after he brushed his teeth to calm his nerves. He then unlocked both doors and went back into the other room. 

Len and Mick had changed their pants. Mick was shirtless, revealing some small burns on both arms. Len was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with snowmen on it. They were both so beautiful. He crawled back in bed, even though he wasn’t tired, and waited for the other two to join him. 

“Are you tired, Scarlet?” Len asked, sitting down next to Barry, his back against the headboard.

“Not really. Are you guys?” Barry replied.

Mick sat on Barry’s other side. “No. We’re not used to napping so late, it’s throwing us off.” 

“Do you guys want to watch more Brooklyn Nine-Nine?” Barry suggested, sitting up to mirror Mick and Len’s positions. 

“Sounds like a plan.” Len bumped shoulders before he grabbed his laptop from the night table.

It was after midnight when Barry started to feel a little tired. He let out a small yawn, which got Len and Mick’s attention. 

“Lay down, Doll. It’s time for bed.” Mick said gently, pushing Barry into a horizontal position. 

Barry did as he was told, he eyes slipping shut for moment but only to snap back open when he felt the bed shift. “Where are you two going?”

Len looked at him, surprise and hope in his eyes. “The spare bedroom? We assumed you would want some privacy.”

Barry rolled his eyes, making grabby hands at Mick and Len. “Well you assumed wrong, get back in here and cuddle me.” He stopped moving and looked at the two older men. “Unless you would rather be in the spare room.”

Mick chuckled before sliding into bed next to Barry. “Nah, I think we’re okay in here, right boss?”

Len smirked, sliding in on Barry’s other side. “More than okay in here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank everyone who has left such nice comments on the last few chapters! You're keeping me motivated. This story is finished so I'll probably be posting a couple chapters a day until it's all done.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A winter trip to the beach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Trigger Warnings that I can see.
> 
> SO sorry this took so long. Yesterday was the first day of the semester so I was a little overwhelmed but to make up for that, here's a long chapter AND I'm posting Chapter 9 right after this!

Barry woke up before Mick and Len, which was a surprise to him. Based on the light streaming in through the window, the storm was done, and it was at least 8. Barry shifted but stilled when he felt an arm tighten around his waist. A glance behind his revealed that Len had his arms wrapped around him. He smiled and snuggled back into Mick’s chest in front of him, content to rest for a little while longer. 

That it, until the door swung open. 

“Wakey wakey, brother mine! It’s time for-” Lisa said loudly, strolling into the room, Cisco trailing behind. She stopped when she saw Barry lying in between Mick and Len, his eyes wide. “Oh, hello, Barry.” She purred.

Barry blushed. “Hi, Lisa.”

He could feel both Mick and Len groan, but he didn’t look at them. 

“Lisa.” Leonard groaned. “Don’t you have anyone else to bother?” 

“Nope” Lisa replied, popping the ‘p’. “Just you and Mickey. And Barry, apparently.”

Mick buried his face in Barry’s hair. “I just wanted a nice, relaxing day in bed before we have dinner with Barry’s family. But noooo.”

Lisa rolled her eyes. “Get over it. I drove all the way over here at 8:30 am just to spend time with you and my brother, so now we’re all going on a little road trip and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

Len sat up to eye his sister. “Lisa…” He warned.

Lisa shot him a glare. “Get over it, Lenny. Get dressed and meet us downstairs in 15.” 

Mick and Len grumbled, but did as they were told. They both disappeared into the walk in closet and reappeared 2 minutes later, changed and looking slightly more awake. Len was wearing a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a black cable knit sweater that, based on the size, belonged to Mick. He had a black beanie on his head. Mick looked stunning in a pair of loose black jeans and a gray and black striped Henley. God, Barry thought they were beautiful.

Len came to sit on the bed. “Do you want to come with us, Barry?”

Barry thought for a moment. As much as he wanted to stay curled up in bed, the idea of spending even more time with Mick and Len made his head spin. “Do you want me to go?”

Len looked at Mick before they both nodded. “We would love for you to go, Scarlet.”

Barry gave them a big smile. “Then I’ll go.”

Mick and Len went to brush their teeth, leaving Barry alone to get changed. He pulled on his jeans from yesterday and left on the sweatshirt he stole from Len. Once he was changed, he joined Mick and Len in the bathroom to brush his teeth and fix his hair. 

After brushing his teeth, Barry looked at himself in the mirror. Between wearing a beanie yesterday and sleeping on it last night, it looked a mess. Pieces of brunette hair sticking up in all directions. 

“Do you have any hair gel lying around?” Barry asked, earning amused smiles from Mick and Len. “Not you two baldies, but there’s like eight other people in this house. One of them has to have gel.”

Once Mick and Len stopped giggling, Mick left the room, only to return with one of the men Barry had seen with Oliver with last night. “Barry, this is Ray Palmer, Oliver and Nate’s boyfriend.”

Barry gave him a shy smile. “Lovely to meet you, Ray.”

Ray smiled widely. “Same to you, Barry. So, I hear you need hair gel?”

Barry nodded. After a few moments of searching, Ray produced a tube from a cabinet. “Here you go. Use as much as you need, I’ve got plenty.”

Mick gave him a pat on the back. “Thanks, Haircut. Now, get back to Nate and Oliver before they wake up without you.”

Ray gave a lovestruck smile at the mention of his boyfriends. “No problem, guys. Have a good day trip.”

Mick, Len and Barry followed Ray out, heading down the stairs. Lisa was lounging on the couch, talking to Laura, Sara and Hartley happily. Cisco was standing in the kitchen, chatting with Wally and Jax. They all turned to stare at the men as they came down the stairs, large smiles on their faces.

“You guys ready to go?” Cisco asked.

Mick nodded. “Yup. What car are we taking?” 

“Cisco offered to drive. His car should be big enough for the 5 of us.” Lisa replied heading to the door.

The 5 of them got their jackets and scarves on, before trekking out into the snow. It was up to the middle of Barry’s calf, but luckily someone had shoveled out a path. Cisco unlocked his mid-sized SUV and climbed into the driver’s seat. Lisa hopped into the passenger seat, leaving Mick, Len and Barry to sit in the back. 

“I’ll sit in the middle.” Barry offered. “I don’t mind.”

Len smiled. “Sure, Scarlet.” He opened the door for Mick. “Hop in, dear.” 

Mick pressed a kiss to Len’s lips. “Thank you.”

Barry’s heart clenched, but he kept the large smile on his face. He went to hop in, but hit a patch of ice. Len grabbed his arm, but it wasn’t enough. Barry feel to the ground, Len going with him. Len landed, his hips straddling Barry’s thighs. A blush appeared on both of their faces as they tried to get out apologizes. It took them a few moments, but Len stood up and offered his hand to Barry.

“Sorry, Lenny.” Barry mumbled, not making eye contact.

“It’s okay, Barry. Are you okay?” Len asked, cupping Barry’s cheeks. 

Barry nodded before carefully getting into the car, Len right behind him.

Once they were buckled and comfortable, Cisco started the car and backed out of the driveway.

“So, where are we going?” Barry asked, his cheeks finally their usual pale color.

Lisa turned to look at him. “Don’t worry, we’ll be home in time for you to go have dinner with you family. We’re just going to the beach.”

Mick tilted his head. “The beach? Lisa it’s 30 degrees and there’s ten inches of snow on the ground.”

Lisa laughed, a sound that reminded Barry of a bell. “I know. I figured we could get something from Jitters and then sit and watch the waves.”

Barry smiled happily. “My mom and I used to do that all the time before she died. We would sit there and talk or color for hours.” 

“That’s the idea for today. We have blankets and some games in the back.” Cisco said, turning onto main street.

When they pulled up to Jitters, Len, Mick and Cisco offered to go in, leaving Lisa and Barry alone in the car. 

“So, Barry…” Lisa said, a smirk on her face. “Did you stay the night last night?”

Barry blushed. “Yeah. We were having a movie night and the storm got too bad for me to get home.”

Lisa hummed. “Is that right? Have you decided on your feelings for them yet?”

“Iris told you?” When Lisa nodded, Barry averted his eyes. “Yeah. I really like them, Lisa. More than I’ve liked anyone before.” 

Lisa reached back and titled his chin up. “So, do something about it, cutie.”

Barry shrugged. “I don’t know, Lisa…”

Lisa rolled her eyes. “But I know. Do it. You won’t regret it.”

Barry gave his friend a small smile. “I’ll think about it.”

Before Lisa could say anything else, the car doors swung open and Mick, Len and Cisco poured back in, drinks and bags in hand.

“Red velvet muffin and hazelnut iced coffee even though its -29 degrees for Barry.” Len said, handing Barry his order.

“That’s funny, Lenny. I don’t remember Barry telling you two his order.” Lisa smirked over the cup of coffee Cisco had given her. 

Len and Mick blushed but didn’t say anything. Barry took pity on them.

“I’m boring so I get the same thing every time we go to Jitters. I’m pretty sure anyone who’s met me can tell you my order.” He laughed.

“Hm.” Lisa said. “I don’t know your order. Cisco, you’re his roommate. Do you know his coffee order?”

Cisco laughed awkwardly, but decided to humor his girlfriend. “No, Lis. I don’t know Barry’s order.”

Lisa peered back at them, joy in her eyes. She quirked her eyebrow but didn’t say anything. 

“Let’s get this show on the road, Cisco.” Mick said gruffly. 

Cisco turned the car on and headed towards the beach. It was going to be a long drive, but the group had an aux cord and coffee. 

They were singing along to Barry’s playlist when Mick turned to look at Barry. “You have a beautiful voice, Barry.”

Barry smiled shyly. “Thank you, Mickey.” He replied before singing again. 

It was a chatty little song by dodie and it was one of his new favorites. He couldn’t help but feel like he was singing it to Len and Mick. 

Oh, where are your manners?  
You need some time?  
Let’s swap chests today  
That might help you decide  
Oh would you be so kind  
As to fall in love with me, you see  
I’m trying  
I know you know that I like you  
But that’s not enough

Barry was lost in thought until they reached the beach, mindlessly singing to all the other songs that came on.

The group sat and talked for a while. They shared stories (Lisa was quick to reveal all the geeky phases that Len and Mick went through when they were in high school) and jokes, laughing at each other’s misfortune.

It went on like that for an hour before Len looked at Barry and Mick. “How crazy would it be if we went for a walk on the boardwalk?” 

Mick looked at him like he was crazy. “Boss, I love you and all, but it’s 20 degrees. We’ll freeze-”

“I love crazy adventures. Let’s do it.” Barry cut Mick off. 

“And I guess we’ll freeze together. Let’s go, assholes.” Mick grumbled.

Cisco went to get out, but Lisa stopped him. “Oh no, sweetie. I’m not in the mood to have a boyfriend popsicle. Let those idiots freeze, and we’ll keep warm in here.” She purred, which sent Mick and Len zipping out of the car faster than anything. Barry laughed, but stopped and blushed when Cisco and Lisa shot him a knowing look.

He hopped out and shivered. This was a stupid idea, it had to be in the single digits with the wind chill, but Barry would do nearly anything for Mick and Len.

He tugged his jacket tighter around him. “Which way should we go?” 

Len shrugged. “I don’t really have a plan.”

Mick faked a gasp. “Len? Without a plan? In this economy?” 

Len rolled his eyes, giving his boyfriend a shove. “Shut up.” He pouted.

Mick chuckled, kissing the pout off Len’s lips. “Let’s go to the right. The boardwalk is shorter that way, which means we can’t wander too far.” He wrapped his arm around Len’s shoulder, who responded by wrapping his arm around Mick’s waist. 

Like always, a pang of jealousy went through Barry. Watching the two of them together, his heart ached. Their interactions made it harder to listen to Iris and Lisa. Why would they want him when they had each other? Who would want his gangly, awkward self who couldn’t even keep a boyfriend for a month? Someone who bored everyone around him with his history lessons and political discussions? 

Barry was so lost in thought, he didn’t notice that Mick and Len had stopped walking, which meant he walked directly into them. If they hadn’t turned to face him, he would have fallen. But like a countless number of times before, they caught him.

“Barry?” Mick said, his voice soft, cupping Barry’s cheek. “Why are you crying?” 

Barry was shocked but now that he was aware of his surroundings again, he could feel that the wind felt even colder because of the tears streaming down his face. He shook his head, pulling away from Mick’s touch. “I’m fine.” He mumbled.

“You don’t sound fine, Scarlet.” Len said, his usual snark missing from his voice. “Where did you go?”

Barry shrugged. “It’s stupid.”

Mick titled Barry’s chin up. “Nothing’s stupid if it upset you, Doll. What’s going on?”

“So, I didn’t tell you the reason me and Winn broke up.” Barry took a deep breath. “He realized that I liked you two more than I should. He figured it out even before I did. I thought it was some hero worship because you saved me

“But then I started spending more time with you two and I found I wanted to be with you more than anyone else. More than Winn. More than Iris. More than Lily. But how could you like someone like me when you have perfection with each other? 

“Why add a broken mess when you already have an incredible partner?” By the time Barry was done babbling, tears were clearly running down his face and his breathing was erratic, both of which was only made worse when Mick and Len didn’t respond.

“See! Everyone pushed me to tell you. Lisa, Oliver, Iris, Cisco, Winn, yet here I sit looking like an idiot because-”

Barry was cut off by a pair of soft lips crashing into his. It took Barry a moment to respond, or even register who it was, but when he did, he melted into Len’s lips. 

When they parted for air, Len whispered, “We want you, Barry. God, how could we not?”

Len stepped back and let Mick tangle his lips with Barry’s. “We didn’t want to scare you away or make you think you owed us, but we’ve wanted you since that first night.” 

Barry felt more tears well up, this time they were happy though. “Oh. Y-you both really want me?

Mick and Len shared a look before they smiled widely at Barry. 

“We want you. Do you really want us?” Mick asked. 

Barry nodded quickly, a blush tinting his cheeks. “I really, really do.” 

Len smiled. “I think we need to have this discussion somewhere 35 degrees warmer. Why don’t we head back to the house, so we can talk before we go to dinner with the Steins?”

They walked back to the car in a comfortable silence, happy smiles on all their faces. Lisa picked up on the mood but didn’t saying anything. She only shot Barry a knowing look through the mirror before telling Cisco to head home. 

The car ride back to the house was filled with chatter, though it was mostly Cisco and Lisa bantering. Barry was lost in his own thoughts, but was able to carry a few conversations with Cisco about the newest Marvel trailer. 

Once they arrived, Lisa and Cisco bid them farewell before driving off. Mick, Len and Barry quickly made their way inside, heading upstairs without running into any of their roommates. Once they were in the bedroom, they shrugged off their coats, leaving them in a wet, cold pile on the floor. The three men sat on the bed, all facing each other. There were a few moments of awkward silence, no one knowing what to say until Len seemed to gather his thoughts and spoke. 

“What are you thinking, Barry?” Len asked, taking one of his hands and one of Mick’s. 

Barry thought for a moment, squeezing Len’s hand. “I feel incredibly lucky that you two are interested in me. I’ve been thinking about you for months.”

Len gave him a large smile, pulling back his hands. “Have you ever been in a poly relationship before?”

Barry shot him a look. “I’ve barely been in a relationship before Winn. But I did a little research.”

Mick grinned. “Communication is our biggest thing. We need to know where we’re at, how we feel, what we like, what we don’t like. All that jazz.”

Barry nodded. “I understand. I want to make this work. I also get that trust is a big deal.”

“You’re right. We need to trust each other and ourselves.” Len agreed. “So, what about labels?”

Barry shrugged. “You guys usually use partners, is that something you would like to stick with?”

Mick and Len shared a look. “I don’t think we’d mind being each other’s boyfriends.” Len began. “If that’s okay with you. We’ve been saying ‘partners’ since before we started dating, we just never thought to change it.”

Barry thought for a second. “I like boyfriends.”

Mick chuckled. “We like it, too. Now, next order of business- do you want to tell our friends?”

Barry blushed. “Most of them are already expecting it, so I don’t know if we need to formally tell them. I think they’ll figure it out.”

Mick let out another loud, beautiful, laugh. “Yeah, that’s fair. I think that’s all for now, we’ll talk about more when it comes up.”

“Can we cuddle until we have to go to dinner with my family?” Barry asked shyly. 

Len shot him a blinding smile. “Of course, Scarlet.” He opened his arms. “Come here.”

Barry happily crawled into Mick and Len’s arms, content to lay there until they had to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is Would You Be So Kind by dodie, which is where the title comes from


	9. Chapter 9

Almost exactly an hour later, the three sat in their car in front of the Stein household. Before Barry could get out, Mick hoped out, ran around the car and opened the door for him. Barry blushed before stepping out, pressing a kiss to Mick lips. He moved ahead of Len and Mick, scurrying to the front door to open it. 

Before he could open it, however, Lily had thrown it open, a large smile on her face. “Hey, baby bro. How was your night?” She asked with a smirk.

Barry rolled his eyes, pulling his sister into a hug. “Shut up, Lil.”

She moved her attention to Mick and Len. “Hey guys. Come on, come on. Mom is really happy you two are here.” 

Len grinned at Lily. “We’re really glad to be here. Barry speaks so highly of you all.”

Lily smirks. “Quite the charmer. I see why Barry likes you two so much.”

Mick and Len blushed slightly but followed Lily and Barry into the kitchen to greet Martin and Clarissa. 

Clarissa was scurrying around the kitchen, finishing up some last-minute things for dinner. Martin watched her from the stool at the counter, regarding her with loving eyes, a small smile on his face. When Clarissa caught sight of them, she rushed over. She pulled each of them into a hug, careful not to get them wet with the dish water that was on her hands.

“Hello boys! Dinner will be ready in just a minute if you want to go to Barry’s room. I’ll have Lily come get you when it’s done.” Clarissa gave them both a large smile, shooing them out. 

Lily elbowed Barry on their way out, giving him an overexaggerated wink. ‘Be safe.’ She mouthed out him, which caused him to blush before he led Mick and Len out of the room and up the stairs.

As he climbed the stairs, Barry said a silent prayer that his room was clean and that he hadn’t left anything embarrassing in plain sight. He opened the door to his room and was met with the smell of the vanilla air refresher he had plugged into the wall. His room was fairly clean, even though the desks were cluttered with his history textbooks and papers where he was scribbling down his ideas.

He stepped inside and went directly to his bed (which was unfortunately much smaller than Mick and Len’s) and curled up. He watched Mick and Len look around, curiosity clear in their eyes. “You’re looking for some pictures of baby me, aren’t you?” He said, a smirk on his face.

Mick let out a loud chuckle. “You bet your sweet ass we are, Doll. You got any?” 

Barry let out a sigh, but pulled himself out of bed. He moved to one of his many book shelfs. One top of it, among many vinyl figures, there was a picture of a newborn version of himself wrapped up in the arms of an elderly couple. “These are my grandparents. I was maybe a week or two here.” 

Len took it in his hands, a fond smile on his face. “As cute as this is, Scarlet, I was hoping more for embarrassing and less adorable.”

Barry rolled his eyes. He went down a shelf and plucked another picture off its spot between his collection of biographies. “Here.” He pushed the picture into his boyfriend’s hands. “Don’t laugh too hard.”

Mick’s grin grew wider as he took in the picture. “This is exactly what we were looking for, Red.”

Barry was around 13 or 14 in the picture they were holding. Though his body was still thin, he had a round face which was covered in makeup that was 5 shades too orange to look good on anyone. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, a long, skinny scarf and glass. He was holding a large bouquet of flowers, with Lily’s arm around him. In the background, Iris could be seen making a stupid face.

“My high school did a performance of Rent. I clearly played Mark and trusted Lily with my stage makeup. I didn’t look so bad on stage, but I felt like a pumpkin every time I looked in the mirror. It was the worst.” Barry chuckled at the memory. “But I was the only freshman who got a lead, so I must have done something right.”

Mick snapped his fingers. “I knew it! I knew you would be a theatre geek.”

Barry blushed. “Yeah…”

Len threw his arm over Barry’s shoulders, pressing a kiss to his temple. “It’s fine, love. Me and Mick are too. Now we just have more reasons to stay in bed and listen to cast albums forever.”

Barry giggled. “Good. Now do you two want to see some more cringy photos?” 

Len twisted his face into an evil grin, which caused Barry to blush. He put the picture Len was holding away before moving across the room to his photo collage. “Most of these are pretty bad. If you find one you like, I’ll tell you the story behind it.”

Mick and Len took in each picture carefully, laughing or smile when they got to a particularly amusing picture. Mick nearly feel over laughing when he heard the story behind a picture of a young, chubby cheeked Barry standing in a goat pen, surrounded by pygmy goats. 

“I went to farm camp for all of elementary school.” Barry explained, a shy smile on his face. 

Mick rose his eyebrows. “Farm camp? What did you do there?”

“My mom and dad basically paid for me to go work on a farm for most of my summers.” Barry couldn’t help but chuckle at how silly it sounded now. “My section was in charge of watching all the goats.” 

Mick looked at the picture again. “What happened right after this picture? Because that little brown and white spotted one doesn’t look happy.”

“Yeah that’s Gigi. She was a little devil. But she knocked me over right after this picture.” Barry smiled at the memory. “I fell and got tackled by the other goats.”

Mick laughed so hard he could barely breath. 

Barry moved over to Len and wrapped his arms around him. “Lenny, your boyfriend is being mean to me!” He whined.

Len rolled his eyes and lovely pat Barry’s head. “Stop laughing at his pain, Mick! You once got spit on by a llama!” 

Mick immediately stopped laughing and glared at the other man. “Shut up, Lenny.” 

Len opened his mouth to respond with a snarky comment, but he was cut off by Lily’s voice.

“Well aren’t you three just the cutest?” She drawls. The three men turn to face her, blush clear on their cheeks. “Mom says that dinner is ready, and the table is set. We’re just waiting on you three.”

Barry untangled himself from Lenny, but didn’t move too far away from him. “Lead the way, Lily.”

Lily gave the all a smirk, but turned on her heel. 

When they get downstairs, Clarissa is already seated at the head of the table and Martin is carrying all the food in. When Clarissa sees the three of them, her eyes light up.

“Have a seat, boys! I bet you had an exciting couple of days, I want to hear all about them!” Clarissa chirps. “I forgot to ask you about any allergies, so I hope all of this is okay.” 

Barry sits down next to Lily and motions for Len and Mick to sit across from them. Once all the food is brought in, Martin takes a seat at the foot of the table. Clarissa really went all out on dinner. A large bowl of salad was sat next to an even larger bowl of pasta. In a covered dish in the center sat a pan filled with a ridiculous amount of meatballs. Two twin bowls, one with alfredo sauce and the other with plain tomato, were placed next to homemade garlic knots.

“This looks great, Mrs. Stein. Thank you for having us.” Mick says, a large smile on his face. It’s clear that he’s going his best to be polite and speak clearly, which Barry finds endearing.

“I’m so glad you two came! But please, call me Clarissa.” Clarissa beams at him. “Pass me your plates, I’ll give you some dinner.”

Mick passed his plate over to Clarissa, who piled the pasta high on his dish and topped is off with a few meatballs and a couple garlic knots. 

“Red sauce or alfredo?” Clarissa asks Mick. 

“Red please.” Mick replied.

Clarissa took Len’s plate next, giving it the same treatment that she gave to Mick’s. “Red or Alfredo?” 

“Alfredo, please. I don’t really like red sauce, except on pizza.” Len answered.

Clarissa looked at Barry. “Looks like you found someone as weird as you, dear.” 

Barry rolled his eyes, handing his foster mother his plate. “Yeah, yeah. Just give me my alfredo sauce and keep your devil’s soup to yourself.” He said without any heat behind his words. 

Once everyone was given food, they started eating, a happy silence falling over them, broken every few minutes with praises for the meal and comments about their day. Towards the end of their meal, Martin looked at Mick and Len.

“So, what are you two studying?” He asked, taking off his glasses and cleaning them with a napkin. 

Len cleared his throat. “I’m pre-med, sir.” 

Martin’s face lit up. “Ah, a man of science. What area?” 

Len smiled politely. “Pediatrics, probably. I’m not sure yet.” 

Martin nodded. “Admirable path. And what about you, Mick?”

Mick paled slightly, fearing that Martin would think less of him for not being in the sciences. “I’m a business major. I’m hoping to start my own bakery in the future.”

Martin gave him a large smile. “If you need anyone to try your creations, feel free to call me and Barry. I have always had a sweet tooth.” 

Clarissa laughed. “He sure did. You should have seen him in college! Always running on a few hours of sleep, pot in one hand and a candy bar in the other.” 

Martin blushed. “I did have my wild days in college.” 

“Would you like Barry, Mick and I to do the washing up, Clarissa? You did make all the food, it would only be fair.” Len asked once everyone was done with their meals.

“That would be lovely dears. Thank you.” Clarissa replied. “We’ll be in the living room if you want to join us when you’re done.”

Mick and Barry stacked up the dishes to bring into the kitchen while Len grabbed the left overs and scooped them into tinier bowls and bags to be put in the fridge. They were working in silence when Mick let out a loud squawk.

Len turned around to see a rather wet and annoyed looking Mick and a cackling Barry. 

“That’s what you get for laughing at my goat story, Mickey.” Barry teased, splashing him with more water from the faucet.

Mick pouted “Lenny…” He whined. “Collect your boyfriend.”

Len rolled his eyes, turning back to the fridge. “You children are own your own. I can’t believe-“ He felt something cold and wet him on the back. “You little shits.” 

Barry and Mick were laughing, and Len was scowling when Lily came in to check on what was taking so long. “Why is everything covered in water?”

Len looked up at her, scowl still on full display. “Your brother and our boyfriend are idiots.”

Lily looked surprised for a moment, but soon fixed her face into a smirk. “’Our’ boyfriend, huh?” She looked at Barry. “What did I tell you, little bro?” 

Barry blushed and hid in Mick’s chest. “Shut up, Lil.”

“You’ll have to fill me in later.” She laughed. “Mom sent me in here to get you three and the cookies she made. She thinks we should watch a TV for a while.” 

Barry looked up at his foster sister with wide eyes. “Are they the peanut butter filled chocolate cookies?” He asked hopefully.

Lily nodded. “They are. I think mom wanted to impressed Mick and Len. Plus, she knows you love them.”

Mick gave Barry a wolfish grin. “What is this about cookies? You holding out on us, Red?”

Lily grabbed a plate of cookies from the stove. “Let’s go into the living room.”

~*~

Len and Mick stayed until nearly midnight and even then, Barry thought it was too soon to be away from them. He told them so with a pout on his face and sleepy eyes.

“We’ll see you tomorrow, Barry.” Mick chuckled.

Barry perked up considerably at that. “I will?”

Len nodded. “Yeah, we still owe you a formal date night out. We were thinking we’d pick you up at 4? Have dinner, maybe go on an adventure or two? You can stay the night if you want. How does that sound?”

Barry sluggishly got up and moved across the room to where his boyfriends were standing. He pressed a kiss to both of their lips. “It sounds perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“We can’t wait, Doll. But let’s get you back into bed.” Mick replied. He picked Barry up bridal style and plopped the younger man onto the mattress. He pulled the blanket up and tucked it around Barry’s body before he and Len both pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“We’ll talk to you tomorrow, Scarlet. Get some rest.” Len mumbled into Barry’s skin. 

The younger man snuffled sleepy. “Good night, Mickey. Good night, Len.”

Mick and Len back out of the room and walked down the stairs. They waved at Lily who was sitting on the couch watching TV.

“Hey, before you go.” Lily stopped them with one foot out the door. “Thank you for making our Barry happy. Please treat him well.”

Len and Mick nodded, their hearts melting. “We will. He deserves the best.”

Lily smiled but didn’t say anything else. She just hugged them and watched them leave. 

Mick and Len shared a look once they got in the car. 

“We’re completely gone on him, aren’t we Lenny?” Mick asked, tangling their fingers together.

Lenny smiled dreamily. “I would say so, Mickey.”

“Nice.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry, Mick and Len go on their first date and discuss their pasts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: Discussion of child abuse (Mick and Len's dad), discussion of death of parents (house fire, car accidents) 
> 
> Long chapter today. Settle in!

Barry woke up the next morning with an easy smile on his face and a few new texts from Mick, Len and Iris.

__  
Iris: I spoke to Lily last night, but I want to hear everything from you… C A L L ME!  
__  
Barry laughed, texting her to meet up at Jitters at 11. He also shot a text to Lily, reminding her to mind her business (not that that will change anything. Lily and Iris live to make Barry’s life harder). She just responded with the angel emoji.

He then moved on to Mick and Len  
__  
Mick: We know that we just saw you less than 12 hours ago  
Len: But we miss you.   
Mick: Can we pick you up earlier than 4?  
__  
Barry smiled widely. God, he hoped Mick and Len liked him as much as he like them. He responded, telling them he had brunch with Iris at 11 but was free after that. They promised to pick him from Jitters at 1:15. 

Barry felt like he was on a cloud while he got ready to meet Iris. He walked into Jitters and saw Iris waiting for him, two cups already in front of her. She waved him over, a large smile on her face.

“Hey, Iris.” Barry said, sitting down across from her. “What’s up?”

“Hi, Bear. Nothing but…” She smirked at him. “Lily texted me last night.”

Barry blushed. “You and my sister are a bunch of yentas. I swear it.”

Iris rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove across the table. “We’re just really happy for you, Barry. I’m glad you finally took everyone’s advice and made a move. So, tell me about your dates!”

Barry told Iris almost everything about their first few days together. She had almost squealed when she heard Mick and Lew were coming to pick Barry up for another date right after brunch.

“I can’t wait to intimidate them.” Iris said gleefully.

“Iris.” Barry sighed. “You know them already, if they’re not scared of you now, I doubt they ever will be.”

Iris scowled at him. “Are you saying I’m not scary, Barry Allen?” 

“You’re so scary, Iris West.” Barry replied, taking another large gulp of his tea. “So, how’s Caitlin?”

Iris then went on for what seemed like hours about Caitlin; how smart she was, how soft her hair was, how beautiful she looked when she was working on something. Barry was grateful for the distraction. At least the focus was off him.

“Barry Allen!” A female voice shrieked from the entrance of Jitters.

Or not.

He turned to see Lisa Snart, flanked by Hartley and Oliver, stalking in his direction.

“Is she here to fight me or congratulate me?” Barry whispered to Iris.

He could see her shrug out the corner of his eye. “Probably a little of both. But you’re about to find out.” 

Barry did his best to act nonchalant. “Heyyy Lisa. What’s up?”

Lisa whacked his shoulder. “Don’t ‘Hey Lisa’ me! Why did I have to find out through Iris that you, Mick and Lenny finally got your heads out of your asses!”

Barry blushed and averted his eyes away from her piercing glare. “It’s still fairly new, Lisa. Plus, I thought you knew.”

Oliver, taking pity on Barry, stepped in. “Leave him alone, Lise. You’re scaring him half to death.”

“Plus, this is just as much Mick and Len’s fault as it is Barry’s.” Hartley added, plopping down next to Iris at the table. He snagged her drink and took a sip. 

“Hey!” Iris squawked, trying to wrestler her mug out of his hands.

“Speak of the devils and they shall appear.” Oliver said, nodding slightly at the door.

Lisa spun around. “Mick Rory and Leonard Snart!”

Len and Mick, who had come in to Jitters with large smiles on their faces suddenly paled. They walked over to the group slowly, shuffling their feet. Once they were close enough, Lisa smacked both of their shoulders.

“And you two! Just because all of you were so obvious with your pining does NOT mean you can get away without telling me!” 

Len rolled his eyes. “All right, All right. We’re sorry. Can we go on our date now?” He asked, sneaking around her to press a kiss to Barry’s forehead. 

Lisa’s eyes softened at the action. “Fine! But only because Barry is so damn cute. Be safe! Use protection!” 

Barry stood up from his chair and gave Iris, Hartley and Lisa a hug before wrapping himself up in the embrace of his boyfriends. 

The trio said their farewells before heading out of the café. 

“Do you need to stop at the Stein’s before we head out on our formal date and adventures?” Mick asked, hoping into the driver’s seat of his car.

Barry nodded. “Yeah. I packed a bag to stay the night with, but I forgot it. I was running late to meet Iris.”

Len chuckled. “You know, everyone tells us you’re late to everything, yet you’re never late when you’re meeting with us. Why is that?”

Barry blushed. “I’m not sure. Maybe I’m just excited to spend time with two such attractive men?”

The rest of the short car ride to the Stein’s house was filled with banter and jokes. When they arrived, Barry hopped out, promising he would be back in no time. He hurried up the stairs, happy that no one was home to delay him getting back to Mick and Len as quickly as possible.

It was then, while he was shoving things he forgot in an overnight bag, that Barry realized just how good he felt. He was happy. He had a good family and an amazing group of friends that seemed to be expanding every day. He had amazing boyfriends and, with the exception of the letter, his past hadn’t snuck up on him in a while. God, this is the happiest he’d been since he was 11.

A large smile on his face, he threw his bag on his shoulders and ran back to the car. He climbed back in and leaned forward in between the driver’s and passenger’s seat to press a kiss to Mick and Len’s cheeks. 

“Ready, Doll?” Mick asked, blush rising to his cheeks from the tender act of affection. 

Barry nodded. “Where are we going?” 

“A cute little Italian place. I hope you don’t mind pasta two days in a row.” Len said.

Barry laughed. “I love pasta too much to mind at all.”

“That’s good to hear. Let’s go.” Mick said, putting the car into drive and taking off down the street. 

“So, how badly did Lisa yell at you?” Len asked. 

Barry winced slightly. “No too bad. Wish she didn’t do it in a public place like Jitters or in front of Oliver and Hartley, but she didn’t say anything too bad.”

Mick chuckled. “Don’t worry about Oliver or Hartley, Lisa has yelled at them for one thing or another quite a few times.” 

They talked aimlessly for the rest of the way to the restaurant. When they arrived, Mick hopped out of the car and rushed over to open the door for Barry and Len. Then, the trio walked into the tiny, well decorated building, sides brushing against each other as they walked.

“Leonardo! Michele! Is that you?” An elderly woman asked, walking slowly over to greet them. She gave each man a hug before flicking their ears. “Why have you not come to visit me in such a long time?”

“We’re sorry, Ms. Anna. It was the end of the semester, we got a little bit busy.” Len said, doing her best to charm the old woman into not flicking him again.

“Too busy for me? A woman who is practically your family? Leonardo, you wound me.” She said, gripping her chest. It was then that she noticed Barry. “And who is this handsome young man?” 

Mick smiled, taking Barry’s hand. “Ms. Anna, this is Barry. He’s our boyfriend.”

“Barry, what beautiful eyes you have.” Ms. Anna cupped Barry’s face in her hands. “These boys are treating you well?”

Barry nodded. “They are amazing, Ms. Anna.”

“And yet they haven’t brought you here before!” the old woman scowled at Mick and Len, who blushed. She called over a waitress. “Barbara, dear? Will you come show these boys to my favorite table and bring them the house specials?”

A red-headed woman came over, a large smile on her face. “Sure thing, Ms. Anna.” She turned to Len, Mick and Barry. “If you’ll follow me?”

Barbara led them back to a table in the far back of the restaurant. It had a clear view of the whole dining room but also had windows on the left that allowed for a view of the garden. It was beautiful, snow-covered and decorated for Christmas. 

Barbara allowed them to sit, then handed them all menus. “Ms. Anna ordered you the house specials, which is our ziti in a white sauce, spaghetti in a vodka sauce and eggplant parmesan. Can I get you anything else?” 

Mick looked at the menu. “I think we’d just like to do drinks, if that’s all right. I’ll have a Coke please.” 

Barbara nodded and looked at Len. “And you?”

“A Sprite please.”

Barbara scribbled it down. 

“Can I have a lemonade please?” Barry asked, looking at the waitress, a large smile on his face. 

 

She smiled back. “Sure thing. Anything else?”

“I think we’re okay, thanks.” Mick said.

“Your food will be out shortly, and I’ll be back in a moment with your drinks.” And with that Barbara retreated into the kitchen.

Barry, Mick and Len spoke about their grades that had been released earlier that morning. Barry wasn’t surprised that Len had gotten a 4.0 and Mick had gotten pretty damn close. And neither of them were surprised that Barry received all As too. 

Barbara returned with their drinks, but it did nothing to stop their conversation. Somehow, they had gotten on to their pasts, which wasn’t a light subject for any of them.

Mick had opened up first. He spoke about how horrible his father was to his mother and him. His father used to go on a bender for days at a time, then return only to make Mick and his mother miserable for a few days, then disappear again. The abuse and neglect, however, came to a head when his father had fallen asleep with a cigarette in his hand when Mick was 12. 

“My ma smelt the smoke before I did.” Mick whispered, clutching one of Barry’s hands and one of Len’s. “So, she woke me up, wrapped me up in a blanket and told me to hop out the window. We weren’t too high up, but I was scared.

“She held me for a moment and then told me to run if I wouldn’t jump. She and I took off out the bedroom door and towards the front door. I got out with minimal burns but my Ma…” Mick cleared his throat. “She, uh, fell. Or maybe the old bastard grabbed her ankle. Either way, she didn’t follow me out.” 

“Oh. Mickey.” Barry whispered, kissing his knuckles. 

“It’s okay though.” He forced a smile. “That’s was right before I met this idiot at the foster home.” He nudged Len.

Mick had told Barry that, even though he was bounced around a lot in the system, he always managed to stay in Central and with Len.

Len opened up next. He spoke of his mother, who was beautiful and kind, but died too soon. He spoke of his step-mother (Lisa’s mom) who wasn’t as kind, but still died too soon. He spoke of Lewis, a man who tortured his children, leaving scars and bruises all over them.

“When I was 12 and Lisa was 10, Lewis came after us with a broken bottle. He missed me, but he hit Lisa right on the shoulder. There was so much blood, I didn’t know what to do.

“I just picked her up and ran down Main Street. Eventually, I found a little clinic. The doctor was closing up but one look at Lisa and he let us in. Stitched her up and didn’t ask too many questions, though I knew he knew what happened.” 

Len took a shaky breath. Barry kissed his hand gently, giving it a light squeeze but stayed silent.

“He was the nicest man I had ever met. I tried to go back to him a few months later, but it turns out he and his wife had passed away. Dad got caught a few months after that, sent to jail. Stealing and attempted murder. Died there too. Me and Lisa went to the local foster house, met this idiot.” He nudged Mick back. “We got adopted by the Duffys a few months later.

“They were loving, a little distant, but they cared so much about us. Plus, they were rich and gave us everything we needed and more. Still do.” Len finished, a bittersweet smile on his face.

“You said that doctor’s clinic was on Main Street?” Barry asked, his voice surprisingly horse. 

Len nodded. “Yeah. Why?”

“That-” Barry broke off slightly. “That was my dad.” 

Len looked at him with wide eyes but didn’t respond.

“I remember him taking about two siblings that came to him. He said he regretted letting you leave. He was trying to figure out who you two were so that he and my mom could take you both in.” Barry said, unshed tears in his eyes. “They figured it out the night they died, they didn’t tell me of course, but I overheard them say they were going to the police station in the morning.

“But they were in an accident that night. Mom died right away, and Dad died a few hours later. That’s when I got taken in by the Steins, they were my parents best friends.” A few tears leaked out of his eyes.

“Oh, Barry.” Len cooed, squeezing Barry’s hand. “Hey, don’t cry. It’s okay. We’re all okay now.” He thought for a moment. “Well, mostly.” 

That got a laugh out of Barry. “Mostly.” He wiped his eyes and smiled widely when he saw that Barbara was coming back with their food. “I’m even better now that food is coming this way.”

Mick chuckled too. “That’s for damn sure.”

Barbara, along with a waiter who helped her carry stuff over, put plates over flowing with food on the table, then disappeared, as if they knew the trio was having an intense conversation. 

Mick divided the food and put a little of everything on each plate. The trio dug in right away.

Barry nearly moaned at how good the food was. It was better than almost anything he’d ever tasted. 

The trio ate in silence for a while, clearly absorbing everything that had learned about each other, but Barry soon broke it.

“So, what are you to doing for Christmas?” He asked, slurping his spaghetti, trying to move to a lighter subject.

“Probably hanging around the house. The Duffys are spending the holidays in Paris. Or is it Italy this year?” Len shrugged. “Regardless, I was never big on celebrating Christmas. My mom was Jewish, not that my dad let me practice once she died. So, I don’t mind a lazy day.” He finished.

“My only family is Len and Lisa and the rest of the people in the house, so wherever they are, I am.” Mick added.

“Oh.” Barry thought for a moment. “Would you like to come to mine for Christmas?”

Mick and Len didn’t respond right away, which sent Barry into a panic.

“You don’t have to, of course, if you want a lazy day. But Clarissa and Martin throw quite the Christmas party, especially for a couple that doesn’t celebrate Christmas, so I thought I would extend the invitation-”

Mick placed his hand on Barry’s. “It’s okay, Barry. We’d love to come.”

Len nodded, taking Barry’s other hand. “You just caught us off guard is all. We’ve only been dating a few days.”

“But we’ve known each other for a couple of months.” Barry countered. “Plus, I like spending time with you.”

“We like spending time with you too, Barry.” Mick said. “Tell us about the Stein’s Christmas party. Aren’t they Jewish?”

Barry told them the story about how, because his parents died so close to Christmas (the anniversary was coming up in a few days), he hated the whole holiday season, but it was particularly bad on Christmas. To try and cheer him up, they had invited Joe and Iris, plus a few of the neighbors (Cisco and his family being one of them), to distract him. It was such a hit that they started having one every year. They still celebrated the 8 nights of Hanukah, they just added a little Christmas celebration to it.

“I think Cisco invited Lisa and I know Wally is bringing Hartley and Jax, so you’ll be in good company.” Barry assured.

“I’m sure it’ll be a lot of fun, Barry.” Len replied. “Now, what do you two want to do after this? Are there any late-night adventures you want to go on?” 

Barry thought for a moment, picking at his food. “What if we get some snacks and hot chocolate and go for a nice drive? Maybe look at all the Christmas decorations?” 

Mick smiled. “I think that’s a great idea, Barry. What do you think, Lenny?”

“I think it’ll be a lot of fun. Let’s finish up here and then we’ll fun to Jitters for sweets.”

The three men ate the last little bit of their food before calling for the check. Barbara returned with it, though it was only 1/3 of what Barry expected it to be.

‘Miss Anna said almost all of it was on the house. Have a good night and come back soon! - Barbara’ the receipt said, a tiny bat drawn next to Barbara’s name. Barry laughed, before reaching for his wallet.

“What do you think you’re doing, Red?” Mick plucked Barry’s wallet out of his hands. “We got this.” 

Barry squinted at him. “Don’t be an ass. Let me pay for at least part of it.”

Len rolled his eyes. “You can pay for Jitters. We’ll pay for this.” 

“Fine.” Barry grumbled, snagging his wallet and putting it back in his pocket. 

Once they had paid, they bid farewell to Ms. Anna and Barbara before braving the cold. They nearly ran back to their car, faces tucked in their jackets. They hopped in and blasted the heat in an attempt to warm up.

Barry convinced Mick and Len to let him play Christmas music, which he sang along to happily. When they got to Jitters, Barry offered to go in alone, so Mick and Len didn’t have to suffer the cold too. He returned a few minutes later with three cups of hot chocolate and a bag full of snacks. 

“It’s still a bit too early for the lights to be on. Where should we go to wait?” Mick said once Barry was in and settled. 

“We can just drive as far as we want, then by the time we’re making our way back, the lights should be on.” Len replied, taking a cup of cocoa from Barry. 

Mick nodded, and started up Main Street, passed their school and on to the highway. They drove and chatted for an hour or so, before Mick got off on an exit. It was dark enough now that, if they stayed on the backroads, they would see plenty of holiday decorations. 

“I don’t like that one.” Barry said of one of the first houses they passed. “It’s too much.”

He wasn’t wrong. There were at least 12 blowup decorations and lights of all different colors covering much of the small lawn. 

“I like it.” Len laughed. 

Mick rolled his eyes. “That’s because you’re dramatic, Lenny.” 

Len squinted his eyes at Mick and flicked his ear. “Shut up, Mickey. Let me be extra.”

This is how they spent the next couple of hours. They bantered and marveled at particularly beautiful decorations. It was past 11 when they pulled back into the house.

At some point Len dozed off in the front seat. After taking a ridiculous amount of pictures of him, Mick scooped him up and carried him inside. Barry snagged the keys out of Mick’s and opened the door for them.

“Lenny?! Is that you?” Lisa called, coming into the room but stopped when she saw her sleeping brother. 

Len startled but relaxed when Mick cooed at him. 

“Let me up, Mickey. I’ll be okay.” He looked at Lisa with sleepy eyes and a small smile. “Is everything all right, Lisa?”

Lisa regarded the three of them with a big smile. “Yeah, I just came over for a movie night with Sara and Laurel and I wanted to see if you wanted to join but why don’t you three head up to bed?” 

Mick chuckled. “You don’t have to tell me twice. I’m exhausted.” 

Each of the boys gave Lisa a quick hug before scurrying up the stairs. They sleepily changed into their pajamas before collapsing into bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you know who Barbara is based on? I think it's pretty obvious but anyone who guesses it right will get a little shout out and maybe a one shot of their choice if they want it?


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: Eobard stalks Barry
> 
> EDIT: A sentence about what Barry got for Len was cut off, but thank to the eagle-eyed Sassy_Boo_Bear, it's all fixed up now!

Barry was laying in between Mick and Len, half asleep when his phone went off. He picked it up and squinted at the screen, which was far too bright for the darkness of the room.

\----  
Unknown: Hello Bartholomew. Miss me?  
\---  
Fear bubbled up in is chest, choking him. He dropped his phone, tears springing to his eyes.

“Scarlet?” Len mumbled sleepily. “What are you doing awake?”

Barry squeezed his eyes shut and calmed his breathing. “I thought I heard my phone. No worries, darling. Go back to sleep.” 

Len squinted at him with bleary eyes, but tucked his face back into the crook of Barry’s neck, an action that immediately calmed him down. Barry was going to deal with this, but not tonight. Tonight, he was going to sleep in the arms of his boyfriends. He nestled his head under Mick’s chin and fell asleep.

The next morning, Barry woke up alone in bed, but he heard motion from the kitchen. He stretched before slowly making his way downstairs. 

Lisa was sleeping on the couch, tangled up with Laurel and Sara. Barry took a sneaky picture and sent it to Cisco who responded with a heart eye emoji.

He then moved on to the kitchen. Mick and Len were moving seamlessly, making something that smelt amazing. Nate, who Barry recently learned would be in a few classes with him come the spring semester, was sitting at the counter reading a book.

“Is that for Dr. Warner’s class?” Barry asked him, sitting down next to him.

Nate looked up at him. “Yeah. I love history, but this book is boring as hell. Have you started it yet?”

Barry nodded. “Yeah. I’m almost done with it. It gets a little bit better towards the end, but not by much.” 

Nate groans. “God, who even assigns work for winter break anymore? There are twenty other things I’d rather be doing than reading this.”

“Are two of those things named Ray and Oliver?” Mick teased, putting a plate of French toast in front of the other two men.

Nate blushed. “Shut up.”

Barry smacked Mick’s arm. “Be nice, Mickey.” 

Mick pressed a kiss to Barry’s lips. “Anything for you, Doll. Help yourself.”

“Scarlet. You’re up.” Len smiled as he entered the room, carrying a large platter of more French toast and eggs.

“Yeah. Do you both sleep okay?” He pressed a kiss to Len’s lips before snagging a plate and some breakfast.

Len nodded. “Did you?”

Barry couldn’t decide if he wanted to tell Mick and Len about the text he got last night. It could have been anyone, it didn’t have to be Eobard. Plus, the holidays were in just a couple of days and he didn’t want to ruin that for everyone. 

Apparently, him taking his time, however, alerted Len and Mick that something was wrong. Nate sensed the change in atmosphere and decided to make himself scarce. 

He picked up his book and took a few pieces of French toast on a plate. “I’ll go see if Ray and Ollie want something to eat.” 

“I need you to promise me you won’t freak out.” Barry said once he was sure Nate was gone. 

“We promise, right Lenny?” Mick said, sitting in the seat that Nate had just vacated. 

Len nodded wordlessly, sitting on Barry’s other side. Barry could tell he was stressed and expecting the worst.

“I think Eobard texted me last night.” Barry said slowly, keeping his eyes locked on the counter in front of him.

Len did his best to keep calm. “Is that why you were crying in the middle of the night?”

Barry nodded. “Yeah. But we were all so tired. I figured it could wait until the morning.”

Mick was quiet for a moment. “What are you going to do about it?” 

Barry shrugged. “I don’t think there’s anything I can do. He didn’t threaten me.”

“But Barry. I don’t want to tell you what to do but we know he’s a wild card. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Len pleaded.

Barry took his hand. “I know, Lenny. I’ll let the Steins know but it’s almost the holidays. I don’t want him to ruin it.”

Len looked pained but nodded. “Okay, Barry. Whatever you want.”

Mick forced a smile. “Let’s eat.”

~*~  
The trio kept their promises and did not speak of Eobard except to tell Clarissa, Lily and Martin. The family was clearly unsettled but agreed not to do anything, at least until after the holidays.

Now it was Christmas and an absurd amount of people were squeezed into the Stein’s living room. Iris and Wally had both brought their significant others, meaning that Mick and Len knew most of the people in attendance. Even Lisa had come with Cisco. 

Len and Mick were standing in the center of the room with Lily. Apparently, Barry spent most of the day getting everything ready, so he didn’t have the time to get dressed until right before everyone got there.

“I swear, that boy will be late to his own wedding.” Lily complained, handing Mick and Len a cup of soda. “He spent so much time wrapping presents and decorating cookies that he was sprinting up the stairs when the doorbell rang.”

“Oh hush, Lily. He just wants this holiday to be special.” Clarissa chastised her oldest. “Leave him be.”

Lily rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything else.

“So, Barry tells me you’re Jewish, Leonard?” Clarissa said.

Len nodded. “Yes. My mom was Jewish. Lisa and I weren’t allowed to practice after she passed but I tried to keep it close, especially after my father died.”

Clarissa nodded. “Well, if you ever want somewhere to go on the Jewish holidays, you’re welcome here.” She pat his shoulder before getting up to greet another guest.

“Finally!” Iris exclaims, bringing everyone’s attention to the staircase. “It’s about time you showed your cute, little face.”

Barry blushed, making his way down the stairs. He looked handsome- beautiful even- in a black sweater (that was definitely Len’s) and a pair of dark jeans. His hair was styled perfectly, and he had the beginnings of a beard on his face. Both Mick and Len felt their hearts speed up at the sight of their boyfriend.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, his eyes scanned the crowd for Mick and Len. When he found them, his eyes lit up and he made a beeline in their direction. He reached them quickly, an easy smile on his face.

“Hi.”

Mick pressed a kiss to his forehead and grinned at him. “Hiya, doll. Like the beard.”

Barry ran a hand over his jaw. “I haven’t had time to shave the past couple of days. I’ve been too excited.” 

Len threw an arm around his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his temple. “It looks nice, Scarlet. Almost as nice as you look in my clothes.” 

Barry flushed even more, hiding his face in Len’s chest. “Shuddup, Lenny.”

“Oh, get a room!” Lisa teased from the other side of the living room.

The party was nice and relaxed. Barry spent most of his night snuggled between Mick and Len and talking to his friends. 

Once the party had wound down, Barry led Mick and Len up to his room. 

“If you wanted us in your bed, Scarlet, all you had to do was ask.” Len teased, plopping himself down on the mattress.

“Shut up, Lenny. I just want to give you two your presents.” Barry blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I thought we said no presents, Red.” Mick said,

Barry rolled his eyes. “Technically, you said no presents and I know for a fact that you both snuck presents to Lily to hide in her room.”

Mick flushed. “That’s true.”

Lily appeared in the room holding four boxes in her arms. “I’m guessing you three will be needing these?”

Len took them. “Thank you.” He said to Lily’s retreating form.

He handed each of the boxes out (two for Barry, one for himself and one for Mick). Barry gave each of his boyfriends a small bag. Together they opened them, wide smiles on their faces. 

From Mick, Barry had gotten the box set of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which brought a smile to his face. Though they weren’t dating then, this show will always be very important to them. From Len, Barry got a new journal and a set of fancy pens, which he had said he wanted months ago, way before they were even together.

Mick had gotten Len a bunch of books on a variety of subjects that interested him, which made his heart skip a beat. He had mentioned wanting to know more about all of these things in passing, but Mick remembered them. From Barry, Len had gotten new winter gear, which, even though it sounded boring, warmed Len's heart. He loved gloves and scarves more than most other things, and Barry knew that. Barry also got him the softest blanket he had ever felt to share with Mick.

Mick had gotten cookbooks from both Barry and Len, which made him extremely happy. Even though he could find most of these recipes online, he preferred having a hard copy. It reminded him of baking with his Gram and his Ma when he was younger. 

After giving each other their thanks, they curled up on Barry’s too small bed and fell asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms. 

~*~  
Over the past few weeks, Barry had gotten increasingly close with Len and Mick’s housemates, as he spent so much time there. He, Nate and Ray spoke for hours on end (about practically nothing) when Mick and Len were busy. Hartley and Jax were fun to watch films with. Sara, Oliver and Laurel, though they intimidated Barry, were extremely good listeners and knew how to cook, so Barry often sat on the counter while they cooked. Laurel’s girlfriend, Felicity, was also becoming a good friend of Barry’s particularly because they were basically the same person. He also found out that, through Lisa and Wally, most of them knew Cisco, Iris and all his other friends, meaning all of them spent quite a bit of time together throughout the break.

Barry walked through campus, a large smile on his face. Even though he was back from winter break, he was happy. He was going out tonight with Mick, Len and the rest of their friends. They were planning on doing some karaoke, maybe go out to eat. He’d been looking forward to it for weeks. 

But that meant that something would have to show up and ruin it. 

“Bartholomew!” 

Barry turned around, expecting to see Hartley or Wally playing a prank on him, but he couldn’t see anyone he knew until-

No.

Eobard Thawne stood, leaning against the tree in the center of campus. Even from his considerable distance, Barry could see the smirk on his face. Eobard gave him a wave and his face transformed into something colder when Barry didn’t wave back. 

Barry closed his eyes and shook his head to clear it. When he looked up again, Eobard was gone. He tried to steady his breathing but let out a shriek when he felt someone grab his arm. 

“Barry? Are you okay?” A blonde woman asked, releasing Barry’s arm as if it had burned her. “Laurel?! Call Mick and Len!”

Where did he knew this girl from? How did she know his name? Or Mick and Len? Why couldn’t he breathe? Why was the world spinning? 

The only thing he processed was strong arms catching him before he hit the ground. The rest was darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this ending is a little evil, but I'm posting the next chapter soon. 
> 
> ALSO! A big shout out to forever_a_fangirl1013 for guessing who Barbara was based off of! It's Barbara Gordon, AKA Batgirl/Oracle!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Eobard continues to stalk Barry, trashing his room. Because of this, Barry and Cisco cannot stay in their room.

Mick and Len were sitting in the library finish up the last of their homework for the weekend when Len’s phone started vibrating widely on the table. 

Len picked it up, speaking at normal volumes, thankful there was no one else around. “What’s up, Laurel?” 

Mick watched his boyfriend’s face change into one of worry and fear. He felt his own heart speed up. Was it Lisa? Or Barry?

“We’ll be right there. The lounge in McGrath should be empty. Take him there.” Len ended the call and started to quickly pack up his stuff. “We have to go Mickey. It’s Barry.”

Mick nodded, packing up all of his books before following Len out the door. They quickly walked across campus, neither speaking. They burst in to the lounge, taking in the worried faces of their friends.

Barry was laying on one of the couches, Oliver pacing next to him. Laurel as sitting on the floor next to Felicity, both of them watching Barry’s passed out form.

“What the hell happened?” Mick asked, going to sit on the arm of the couch. 

“I don’t know. I saw him in the center of campus, so I went to say hello, but he looked really out of it. He screamed when I put my hand on his forearm.” Felicity said, her voice cracking. “He looked at me like he had never seen me before, then he passed out. Oliver caught him before he could hit the ground.”

“It looked like he had seen a ghost.” Laurel added, squeezing her girlfriend’s hand.

“I wonder if he did.” Len mused, earning odd looks from everyone else but Mick.

“You don’t think?”

“I think Thawne is rearing his ugly head again.” Len said, scrubbing a hand over his face.

“Eddie Thawne? The football player? What’s he have to do with anything?” Oliver asked, clearing gearing up for a fight.

“No, no. Not that Thawne. His older brother is obsessed with Barry.” Mick explained. 

“Eobard?” Laurel said.

Len nodded. “Yeah. You’re familiar?”

Laurel rolled her eyes, a frown on her face. “He gave Sara a little bit of trouble when we were pretty young. Middle school maybe?” 

Before any more discussion could happen, Barry groaned, sitting up slowly. He squinted against the light, but soon saw Mick and Len at the foot of the bed. 

“Mickey? Lenny?” he mumbled. “What’s happening.”

“You passed out, love.” Mick said quietly. 

Barry paled when the memories flooded back. “Oh god.”

“It was him, wasn’t it?” Len came to sit next to him, Mick right behind him. “You saw Thawne?”

Barry nodded wordlessly.

“He didn’t touch you, did he?” Mick said, keeping his voice as calm as he could, even though all he wanted to do was find this asshat and roast him.

Barry shook his head, still not speaking.

“Felicity, Laurel, why don’t we go back to the house? Give these guys a little time.” Oliver said.

The two women nodded, and followed Oliver out, waving sadly at Barry.

The trio sat in silence for a while before Barry spoke. 

“I’m not even sure if he was real or not. One minute he was there and the next he was gone.” Barry looked at his boyfriends with wide eyes. “Have I gone mad?” 

Len cupped his cheek. “No, Bear. You’re not mad, I promise.”

Mick took one of Barry’s hands in his. “We’ll protect you, love. Let’s get you back to your dorm.”

Barry nodded and allowed the two men to help him up. He walked with them, feeling safe enough not to look over his shoulder as they walked to his dorm.

If he had looked back, however, he would have seen a seething Eobard sitting on one of the benches. 

“Stupid jocks, ruining my plans.” He growled, putting up his yellow hood and stalking off in the other direction, muttering to himself. “But they’re in for a shock.”

~*~  
Len unlocked Barry’s dorm and led him to his bed. He was grateful that Cisco wasn’t there. Barry walked to the bathroom, not saying a word. Len and Mick settled into the common area, talking quietly about what they should do. Mick was in the middle of his sentence when Barry let out a shriek.

Mick and Len shared a brief look before sprinting to the bathroom. Barry was sitting with his back against the wall, tears streaming down his face. All questions about what happened died on their lips when they saw the room around them. 

The mirror was shattered, and the shower curtain was torn. Barry’s robe was lying on the floor, stained in what Mick and Len hoped was red food coloring or ink, but Cisco’s was left untouched on the hook. The words ‘Hello darling Miss me? - Eo’ were written on the wall in the same red that covered Barry’s robe. 

“How did he get in here?” Barry whispered, voice cracking. “How did he get pass the front desk?” 

Len squatted down next to Barry. “Scarlet, we have to call campus security and the police.”

Barry nodded, his eyes never leaving the words on the wall. “I know. Maybe call Cisco too? He can’t stay here tonight.” 

“Both of you can stay with us tonight. Or he can stay with Lisa and you can stay with us.” Mick said. “Either way, both of you will be safe.”

Within 30 minutes, Barry’s dorm was filled with the police and campus security. Cisco arrived a few minutes after Barry had texted him, Lisa right behind him. He wrapped his roommate up in his arms, cooing softly at the sobbing boy. 

“It’s gonna be okay, Barry.” He said, petting Barry’s hair. “Len and Mick will keep you safe.”

“What about you? You won’t stay here, will you?” Barry whispered, pulling away to look into his friend’s eyes. 

Cisco shook his head. “No, I won’t stay. I’m just grabbing my bag. I’ll stay at Lisa’s until we get the all clear.” 

Barry nodded. “Okay. Go on. Neither of us should stay here any longer than we need to.”

Cisco gave him one last hug before he disappeared into his room, his hands linked with Lisa’s.

“Mr. Allen?” A voice said. Mick, Len and Barry turned to face him. “My name is Detective David Singh. May I ask you a few questions?”

“Oh. Yes. We can go to the common area.” Barry replied, his voice shaky.

Sensing his discomfort, Detective Singh added. “Your friends can stay with you, if that would make speaking of this subject any easier for you.”

Barry relaxed slightly, linking his hands with Len and Mick. He sat on the couch in the common area, Mick and Len on either side of him. Detective Singh sat in one of the chairs across from the trio. 

“Now, Mr. Allen, I know this is going to be difficult, but I’m going to need to ask you a few questions.” The detective began. “Do you have any idea who ‘Eo’ is?”

Barry nodded, tears streaking down his face, as he told Detective Singh about every interaction he had with Eobard, including today on campus. 

Detective Singh nodded, scribbling things of interest down in his notebook. He didn’t yell at Barry for not reporting the letter or the texts earlier, like Barry had expected. 

When Barry was done, Detective Singh spoke again. “I don’t think you should stay here for a few nights. Do you have anywhere else you can go, preferably not your parents’ house, as he knows where that is.”

“I’m staying with Mick and Len and my roommate is staying with his girlfriend.” Barry paled. “Can someone watch my parents’ house? I’m afraid he might go after them if he can’t get to me.”

Detective Singh nodded. “Detective Joe West is already on the way over there to explain the situation and take the first shift.”

Barry let out a breath he did know he was holding. He tucked himself into the crook of Mick’s neck and let Len rub his back.

“Is there anything else you need from Barry, Detective?” Len asked. 

Detective Singh shook his head and stood up. “I think we’ve got everything, though I think you all should head out soon. It’ll be dark in a short while.”

Mick nodded in agreement. “Thank you, Detective. Please call if you need anything else from us.” 

Len pat Barry’s back before he got up to pack a go bag from Barry. He avoided the bathroom. Cops made him uneasy and the damage made his blood boil. He grabbed a few items of clothing, even though he knew Barry was going to live in his and Mick’s clothes for the next couple of days, his phone charger and a book he knew Barry needed for an assignment. He shoved them all in a duffel bag he was 99% sure was Mick’s hockey bag and returned the common area. 

“Ready to go, Barry?” Mick asked gently, rubbing Barry’s back.

The younger man didn’t speak, but pulled himself up and picked up his backpack. The three walked silently to Mick’s truck. Once they were all buckled in and on the way home, Len spoke.

“I texted everyone and gave them the bare minimum story to cancel tonight’s plans, okay?” 

Barry nodded. “I really want to go out with them, but I’d be looking over my shoulder the whole night. I just want to crawl in bed and cuddle with you two.”

Len smiled sadly. “I understand but we’ll reschedule the second this all blows over. Why don’t we stop at a drive through and get some dinner to bring back to the house?” 

“Taco Bell?” Barry asked, a ghost of a smile on his cracked lips.

Mick laughed. “Whatever you want, Doll.” 

They got back to the house, bags of food in hand, to see that all of the roommates were home. 

“That’s odd.” Mick said as they got out of the car. “I thought Oliver had said they were going out tonight.” 

“I don’t think they want to leave us alone.” Barry added softly. “I think they’re staying to say that they’re our backup if Thawne shows up.” 

“Huh.” Len said, unlocking the front door.

Sure enough, Oliver and the rest of the housemates were sitting in the living room, acting as natural as they could. 

“Hey guys.” Barry waved awkwardly. 

“You’re not getting rid of us tonight boys, so you better strap in.” Sara snarked, offering Barry, Mick and Len some popcorn. “We’re watching Batman.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: Kidnapping, threatening loved ones

Mick and Len hadn’t had the heart to leave Barry alone since his run in with Eobard, but now they didn’t have a choice. Barry didn’t have classes on Monday, but Mick had a test in his night class and Len had promised to tutor a classmate in bio. They had offered to ask Oliver or one of the other housemates to stay with him, but Barry had brushed them off.

“I’ll be okay. I could use some time to myself.” He paled. “Not that I don’t love spending time with you two, it’s just-“

“We get it, babe. Everyone needs alone time sometimes.” Len squeezed his hand to stop his babbling. “Mick and I are just worried.”

Mick squeezed Barry’s other hand. “But if you say you’ll be okay, we’ll respect that. I don’t know if I love the idea, but it’s not our decision to make.”

Barry forced a smile. “I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Everything, as it turns out, was not fine.

Barry had been alone in Mick and Len’s house for about an hour when he could have sworn he started to hear something outside.

Barry let out a deep breath. “It’s nothing. I’m being just paranoid.” 

He turned his music up a little higher and turned his attention back to balancing the chemistry equation in front of him. He finished two more problems before he heard another sound. He turned his music down and unlocked his phone.

“Hello?” Barry called, immediately feeling like a stupid character from a horrible horror film. 

The sounds get louder, and Barry’s panic increased. He hears footsteps in the hallway. He opened his recent calls and presses Len’s name. He doesn’t put the phone to his ear, just leaves it face down on the bed. 

The footsteps stop in front of the door to Mick and Len’s room. After a second, the door flies open, revealing a tall figure in a yellow hoodie. Barry feels his breath catch in his throat.

The figure finally looks at him, an evil smirk on his face. “Well, well, Barry. You sure have been hard to track down, and even harder to get alone.” 

Barry gulped, but fixed his face into the calmest one he could manage. “Eobard.” 

Eobard’s smirk grows wider when Barry says his name. “Oh, my love, how I have missed you.” 

“Eobard, please. Don’t hurt me.” He said, calm façade breaking as Eobard inched closer to him.

Now, Eobard was right in front of him. He ran a cold hand over Barry’s cheek. “Hurt you? My love, I only wanted to speak to you! It’s been so long.”

Barry did his best not to flinch away from the touch. Eobard’s hands felt like ice. 

“Come with me, Barry, and I won’t hurt any of your little friends.” Eobard cooed, his hand moving to grip Barry’s wrist. 

“You won’t hurt any of them?” Barry asked.

“I’ll even leave your precious ‘Mickey and Lenny’ if you come with me right now without a fuss.” Eobard said, his grip growing even tighter on his wrist.

Barry had no other choice. He couldn’t let anyone get hurt. He nodded, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Good choice, dear. This way is much easier for you.” Eobard said. 

He led Barry down the stairs and into his car. Once in the privacy of the car, Eobard zip tied Barry’s hands together. He turned the car on and took of down the street.

This wasn’t going to end well, Barry knew that, but at least Eobard didn’t see his phone. At lease Len and Mick would know where to start. They would know he didn’t just run off to clear his head. 

‘Please’ Barry thought. ‘Save me.’

A single tear trailed down his cheek as he stared out the window, praying someone would help him.

~*~  
“So, do you have any questions on what I just said?” Len asked Bette, a sophomore and a recent friend that he was tutoring. 

“Uh, I don’t think so-” Bette started to say but was cut off by Len’s phone ringing.

Len’s heart stopped when he realized it was Barry’s ringtone.

“One sec, Bette. Barry is having a rough night, and this is him.” Len explained.

She nodded and gave him a smile, looking down at her work.

Len unlocked his phone and answered the call. “Scarlet?”

There was no response, only the sound of rustling. He was about to hang up when he heard a voice that sent a shiver down his spine.

“Well, well, Barry. You sure have been hard to track down, and even harder to get alone.” The voice growled.

Len knew who it was, but his fears were confirmed when he heard Barry say, “Eobard.” 

Len listened to the rest of their conversation, heart dropping to his stomach. Based on the look Bette was giving him, he was pale and probably looked as if he’d just seen a ghost. After a few minutes of silence, he hung up.

“Bette.” He said, his voice cracking. “I have to go. Barry was just taken.” 

The sophomore’s eyes widened. “Oh no. Do you know who took him?”

Len nodded. “Eobard Thawne.”

Bette shivered. “I see.” 

“You’ve had run ins with him?”

Bette nodded. “Yeah. But that’s not important, tutoring is obviously over. Call Mick.”

“He’s in night class.”

Bette thought for a moment. “Who’s class?”

Len was suddenly grateful he memorized Mick’s schedule. “Economics with Hills.”

Bette packed up all of her stuff. “I work in the economics office and I know Hills. I can get us in. Let’s go.”

“Bette.” He started. “I can’t get you involved in this.” 

“I’m involving myself. We’ve only know each other for a little while, but you, Mick and Barry are my friends.” Bette waved him off. “Plus, I’ll do anything to fuck over Eobard.” 

Len looked like he wanted to argue, but decided against it. “Thank you, San Souci.” 

“Let’s go save the day, Snart.”

The pair ran across campus, pausing only briefly so Len could put an SOS in the housemates’ group chat. 

\--  
The Legendary Rogues   
Cap: Meet back at the House ASAP, Eobard has Barry. 

\--  
Len didn’t read any of the responses, though based on the vibrations of his phone, there was quite a few.

Soon enough, Bette and Len stood outside Mick’s classroom. It was about an hour after the class started but that didn’t stop Bette from knocking on the door. After a few seconds, a woman appeared in the window. When she saw Bette, she smiled and stepped outside.

“Bette! How are you?” She said happily, ponytail bouncing.

“Hi, Dr. Hills. I’m so sorry to bother you but there’s an emergency.” Bette said, fear clear in her voice.

The smile slipped off Dr. Hills’ face. “What’s going on, Bette?”

“Mick and Len’s boyfriend has been kidnapped.” 

Dr. Hills let out a gasp. “Is this Barry Allen? The staff got an email about him and how his room was trashed. I know his adoptive mother.”

Len’s heart sunk. He hadn’t even told the Stein’s yet.

“But I’ll go get Mick. Barry needs him more than Mick needs this test. Just a moment.” Dr. Hills disappeared back into the classroom, Mick emerging a few moments later, bag in hand.

“Lenny? Bette?” He asked, clearly confused, before he took in their somber faces. “Thawne made a move, then?” 

“He took Barry from the house. Everyone is on their way there now.” Len said. “I just have to call the Steins.” 

“Let’ head to my car. I’ll drive, and you can call them.” Mick said.

“I’m coming with you.” Bette said and rolled her eyes when the men started to argue. “Don’t even. I said it before, you three are my friends. I’m coming with you.”

Mick signed. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Once they were settle in the car, Len pulled out his phone and dialed Lily’s number. 

“Hey Leonard. What’s up?” She said happily.

“Lily.” Len said, his voice cracking again. “Barry has been taken.”

Lily let out a gasp. “Eobard?” 

“Yes.” Len whispered. 

“I’ll get my parents and meet at your house?” She said, voice wavering slightly.

“We’re on our way there.”

The ride to the house was silent and tense. Len was beating himself up for all the things he could have done. He could have cancelled tutoring or asked Bette if they could work at the house. He could have done more once he got the phone call. Should he have called the police first? He probably should have but he was just so scared.

Mick was doing some similar brooding. He could afford to skip one test, or he could have emailed Dr. Hills. She was a nice professor, she would have understood. God, poor Barry.

When they pulled up to the house, there were more cars parked than they expected. Based on the familiar cars, Wally, Cisco, Lisa and Iris were here. 

As they exited the car, the Steins, followed by Felicity and Winn pulled up. 

Lily all but ran into Len and Mick’s arms, small sobs shaking her body. 

Len rubbed her back and mumbled apologies to her. 

She pulled back, a frown on his face. “Why are you apologizing?” 

Len paled. “I could have done more. I could have-”

“No, Len.” Lily said firmly. “You and Mick have been incredible through all of this.”

“Come on, kids. Let’s head inside before we all catch a chill.” Clarissa said, ushering everyone into the house. 

Len nodded and pulled out his keys. He opened up the door and led the group to the living room. 

“Lenny! Mickey!” Lisa cried, flinging herself into their arms. “God, what happened?”

“Eobard was here.” Len said, stiffly. “He came in and told Barry that if he went with him, he wouldn’t hurt any of us.” 

“I’ll go make a pot of tea.” Hartley whispered, untangling himself from Jax and Wally. He scurried out of the room, tears welling up in his eyes. Everyone understood. He and Barry had grown extremely close over the past few months. 

“I’ll go help him.” Sara said, standing up and hurrying after her friend.

“Have you called the police yet?” Iris asked, her head pillowed in Caitlin’s lap. 

Len paled. “With everything, I forgot. Oh god.” 

Clarissa put her hand on his shoulder. “No, it’s okay. You haven’t done anything wrong. I’ll call Joe and Detective Singh.” She said before walking into the other room to make the call.

Len nodded wordlessly. Lily and Lisa led him and Mick to an empty couch. 

Everyone talked quietly about what to do next. Neither Mick nor Len wanted to go to their room. One, because they weren’t sure what the police might need to do and second because they would just picture the worst-case scenario. Hartley and Sara returned a few minutes later, a large kettle and more than a dozen mugs in hand. Clarissa returned a little while after they did.

“Detective Singh, Joe and a few officers are on their way over.” She said. She was hunched over and tired, but she did her best to remain positive. “They should be here in less than 10 minutes.”

After almost exactly 10 minutes, there was a knock on the door. Oliver, who was the closest, went to open the door. 

He led the cops to the living room. Detective Singh and Joe both look exhausted. Two officers went upstairs to check out the room Barry was in. Joe and Singh sat with the family. 

“Len? Clarissa says you were the one that heard it all. I know this might be difficult, but can you tell us what happened?” Joe asked, voice shaking slightly. Professional or not, Joe was a good friend of both the Allens and the Steins, meaning he saw Barry as him a nephew. 

Len nodded and told the story from the beginning, sharing the occurrences of the past few months, the letter and the texts, as well. By the end, there was not a dry eye in the room. 

Iris was curled up with Caitlin, both doing their best to fight back tears. Hartley was sobbing quietly, Jax and Wally holding him close. Felicity and Laurel were grasping each other’s hands like their life depended on their connect. Oliver held a crying Ray and Nate, pretending his own tears weren’t running down his face. Lisa was holding a crying Cisco. Lily passed Winn a tissue to dry his damp eyes without a word. Sara was comforting Bette, even though the pair hardly knew each other.

“Well, the fact that we know it’s Eobard is a good start. We’ve been looking for him since the dorm incident last week.” Singh said after a moment of silence. “Meaning that most of the force knows what he looks like.” 

“For now, I think you should all attempt to get some rest.” Joe put up a hand to stop any complaints. “I know it will be difficult, but there is little else we can do tonight.”

Before anyone else can say anything, Len’s phone rang. 

“Hello?” He said, pausing to allow the person on the other line to speak. “Eddie? Yeah, I’ll put you on speaker.”

He took the phone away from his ear and tapped the screen. 

“Eobard called me.” Eddie, who everyone was familiar with, but didn’t know too well, said. “He asked if he could borrow the keys to the family cabin, said he lost his. I thought it was weird, but I agreed.

“When he got here, he came to the door and looked a bit nervous. He’s always creeped me out, but this was a whole new level. When he was driving away, I saw Barry in the passenger seat.”

Clarissa let out a gasped and clutched Martin’s hand.

Joe pulled out his own phone and started to take notes. “And when was this?” 

“Uh, maybe 30 minutes ago?” Eddie said. “I would have called earlier, but I had to do some searching for Leonard’s number.”

“And what’s the address of your family’s cabin?” Singh asked, writing down Eddie’s answer. “Anything else?”

“Yeah, I just don’t understand why he risked coming to me? He knows I know Iris. Is this a trap?” 

Joe frowned. “I’m not sure, Eddie. I think this is a man who is getting desperate, so we need to move quickly.”

Eddie made a sound of agreement. “Right. I hope I was helpful.”

“You were, Eddie, thank you.” Len replied. “You didn’t have to get involved in this mess.”

“Yes, I did. Good luck everyone.”

Once they hung up, everyone sprung into action. Joe and Singh ordered people to head to the beach house, while they prepared themselves to head over there too.

“We’ll keep you posted. Get some rest.” Joe said before he and Singh left.

The group sat in a tense silence for a little while before Clarissa stood up and dusted off her skirt. “Well, they’re probably far enough away now. Let’s go team.”

“Mom?” Lily asked. “They told us to stay here.”

“Well, I like to beg forgiveness and not permission.” She replied, sipping the last bit of her tea.

“Clarissa, this is a criminal-” Martin began, but stopped once he saw the look on his wife’s face.

“And that criminal has our son, so I’m going to that cabin in the woods and dragging that Thawne out by his ear if I have to.” She said, a matter-of-factly. 

“I’m in.” Len said, standing up.

“And if he’s in, I’m in.” Mick said, grabbing Len’s hand.

Clarissa smiled at them. “I figured you would. Who else feels up to it?”

Bette stood. “What better way to spend a night then kicking ass and saving a friend?”

By the end of it, everyone had agreed. 

“Look out, Thawne.” Clarissa growled. “You messed with the wrong family.” 

And they were a family, Len realized halfway to the cabin. They were a collection of misfits with rough pasts that found a home with each other. All they needed now was their Barry back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so angsty, but just two more chapters left!!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: kidnapping, non-consensual touching (not graphic), threats, violence, gun violence, hospitals, 
> 
> I know nothing about gun shot wounds, so everything is going to be vague.

Barry felt like he had been in the car forever, but logically he knew it couldn’t have been more than an hour or two. Nothing they passed looked familiar, so he couldn’t even make any guesses as to where Thawne was taking him. 

Eobard hadn’t done anything to hurt him, but he kept is hand on Barry’s thigh, stroking it possessively. Barry hated every second of it. 

“You know.” Eobard purred. “I’ve been planning this for months. Tony was supposed to bring you to me ages ago, but he got to possessive and sloppy. Thought he deserved you more than me.” His hand stilled, digging his nails into Barry’s thigh. “But I took care of him, don’t you worry, Bartholomew.” 

He didn’t speak to Barry again, but was still mumbling thinks about ‘Woodward’s grubby hands on something that was his.’ It made Barry even more uneasy, silent tears fell down his cheeks.

It was after ten that Eobard finally stopped outside a cabin. There was a large amount space, nearly a mile, between it and the other houses. That, plus the high bushes and thick trees, meant that there was little chance Barry was getting any help from the neighbors.

Eobard shut of the car and got out, grabbing a bag from the back before he came around to Barry’s side. He opened the door and roughly pulled Barry out. “Up you get, Bartholomew. We should get you comfortable.”

He pushed Barry in the direction of the front door. Barry didn’t make any efforts to escape, knowing that would only make it worse, for him and his friends. Instead, he quietly moved inside once the door was unlocked. 

Eobard dropped his bag and looked at Barry. “Are you hungry?”

Barry shook his head. His appetite was back in Central with Mick, Len and all their friends and family.

“Good, me neither.” Eobard said, shoving Barry towards the stairs. “Well, then I guess I’ll show you to your room.”

Barry complied, walking the steps, though he stumbled a few times (he couldn’t grab the railing with his hands tied together.) Eobard would grab his ass every few steps, making his stumbling even worse. They came to a stop outside a door. Eobard pulled out another key and unlocked the door before shoving Barry in to it.

“This door locks from the outside, so there’s no use trying to escape.” Eobard said, staying by the door. “Eventually, we’ll share a room, but for now this is best. We’re both a little overwhelmed and I’m too tired to deal with you.”

Barry nodded, keeping his eyes glued to the floor. 

“Look at me when I speak to you, Barry.” Eobard growled, causing Barry’s eyes to snap to his. “Good. I guess I’ll get you out of those zip ties.”

Eobard stalked into his space and cut the ties. He caressed his hands and Barry felt his skin crawl. It took everything in him not to flinch away. 

“You’re still so beautiful, Bartholomew.” Eobard purred, cupping his cheek and stroking his bottom lip. “Now, there’s a bathroom connected to your room. Again, I trust you won’t use anything in there to escape, as that will only hurt you precious friends, hmm?” 

Barry forced himself to meet Eobard’s eyes. He nodded.

“Speak, Bartholomew.” Eobard’s voice was harsh again. 

“I won’t try to escape.” Barry said, his voice quiet, though portrayed none of the fear he felt.

Eobard leaned down like he was going to kiss Barry, but inside pulled away at the last second, enjoying the look of fear on Barry’s face. 

“I’ll see you in the morning.” Eobard patted his cheek before leaving the room.

Barry heard the telltale sound of the lock turning, meaning that he was trapped. He went to the bathroom and splashed his face with water. He willed himself not to cry. He needed to be brave for himself and for his friends. 

After looking at his tired face in the mirror for a little while, Barry crawled into the bed in the center of the tiny room. He thought of Mick and Len briefly, before the emotions got to be too much. He shook his head to clear it. He closed his eyes, though he knew sleep wouldn’t come. 

He’s not sure if he was relieved or terrified when a restless sleep did finally claim him.

Barry was awoken from his restless sleep by the door being swung open.

“Bartholomew.” Eobard growled, stalking into the room. “What. Did. You. Do?”

“W-What?” Barry cowered back, but there was nowhere to go. 

“There’s a shit ton of police out there Barry. So, I’ll ask again. What the fuck did you do?” He was in front of Barry now, leaning over into his face.

“N-nothing, Eobard. I didn’t do anything.” He said. 

Barry felt something cold press against his side. “Up.” Eobard growled. 

Barry complied, tears streaming down his face. 

“Walk down these stairs, no funny business or I will end you and all your pretty little friends.” Thawne purred into his ear, pressing the gun a little harder into his side. 

“We might as well give them something to look at before we go out that.” Eobard said, pulling back his free hand and punching Barry in the face, knocking him to the floor. He kicked him in the ribs once before pulling him up and pressing the gun back to his side. 

Eobard went to the door. Barry could hear movement outside and he could see the flashing lights of a cop car, but he was too numb to process any of it. The only thing he was aware of was the pounding of his pulse and the blood dripping down his face.

“Thawne!” A voice called from outside. “We have the place surrounded. Release Barry Allen and all of this will stop.”

Eobard laughed humorlessly. He opened the door.

“Put your hands up, Thawne!” The voice-Joe?- called. 

“You know? I don’t think I will.” Eobard said. 

Barry could feel the gun shifting on his back. The cops could see it, couldn’t they? No, it was hidden by Barry’s jacket, they wouldn’t see it in time. 

The everything moved in slow motion. Barry could feel Eobard aiming the gun. He should move, now! He didn’t want to die. What was he going to hit?

Barry never got his answer before the world went dark.

~*~ Mick and Len~*~  
Mick, Len and the Steins were the only ones who went to the cabin. Clarissa somehow convinced everyone to stay in a hotel a few miles away, so they were close enough to help if there was a problem, but wouldn’t overwhelm anyone if things went south. 

When they got to the woods, Mick and Len could see dark colored cars. They were parked close to the house, but there was a dense cover of trees, meaning they probably weren’t visible from the house. It was dark, no one risking turning their headlights on, but they could see the outlines on some officers standing around talking about what to do next. 

Martin parked the car and the five stepped out. Joe and Singh, who were speaking to another officer shot them a look before coming over. 

“When we said get some rest, I don’t think we meant come here.” Joe said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“You should know us better than that, Joe. We won’t get in your way.” Clarissa pat him on the shoulder. “But you know how Barry is. He’s going to panic and these two,” She motioned to Mick and Len. “Are the ones who can stop that.”

Singh let out a deep breath. “I don’t love this, but I figured you would show up. Stay behind the perimeter we set up and don’t get involved.”

Mick and Len nodded, hands linked.

After a little more discussion, the officers decided it was time to make their presence known. They set up a few officers with guns, aimed at the door. Joe took a bullhorn from David and spoke.

“Eobard Thawne!” He said. 

From their place, Mick and Len could see movement in one of the windows. The figure quickly ducked away. 

“Coward.” Len whispered to Mick. 

Mick made a noise of agreement, wrapping himself around Len. Len leaned back into him, an attempt to find the comfort that they both needed.

Joe waited a few minutes, and spoke again when there was no answer. “Thawne! We have the place surrounded. Release Barry Allen and all of this will stop.”

Mick let out a gasp when the door opened, and Barry stumbled out, Thawne right behind him. Based on the position of his arm, he had a gun pressed against Barry’s back.

“Oh Barry.” Len nearly whined, seeing the blood and tears dripping down his face. 

Lily hid her face in Martin’s chest, afraid to look at her brother in such a state. Clarissa came to rest her hand on Martin’s back, the older man having a struggle of his own.

Everything else happened so fast. Everyone was so focused on Barry, they didn’t notice that Eobard was shooting until they heard the gun shots and saw Barry slump over. Clarissa and Lily let out a shout and Martin a sob. Mick and Len shared a look, tears welling up in their eyes. Len pulled Mick close to him and held him, not trusting his voice to speak.

Singh and Joe ran toward Barry while a few of the other officers dealt with Eobard. 

Joe took Barry’s head into his hands. “Barry, can you hear me?”

The boy looked up with him with bleary eyes. His breath was labored, and he was clearly panicking. “’ick? Len? Did he hurt them!”

Singh turned to another officer who was hovering around them. “Get Snart and Rory. Now!” he barked out. 

The young officer nodded, taking off in the direction of the perimeter. He stopped in front of the family. Clarissa and Martin were holding a crying Lily, tears of their own streaming down their faces. Mick and Len had their arms wrapped around each other but neither of them were crying. 

“Singh has requested you come with me. He’s awake but he’s panicking.” He said to Mick and Len.

The two men nodded before following the young officer, hand in hand. They prepared themselves for the worst, but their hearts still broke when they saw Barry being transferred onto the stretcher, blood covering most of his body. 

One of the EMTs looked at them, then spoke to Barry in a soothing voice.

“Look, Mr. Allen, your boyfriends are here to ride in the ambulance with you. Why don’t you take a few deep breaths?” She said.

Barry searched for Mick and Len, a weak smile coming to his face when he found them. He didn’t speak though, merely closed his eyes.

“We have to move!” Another EMT yelled. “He’s slipping!” 

The female EMT who spoke to Barry turned to Mick and Len. “We have to move. Are you coming with us?” 

They nodded.

She gave them a tight smile. “Then let’s go boys. This is going to be a tricky ride.”

And it was. Barry stopped breathing a few times on the short ride to the hospital, a combination of the panic and the blood loss.

When they got to the E.R., Mick and Len were taken to a private waiting room while Barry was taken into surgery. They texted in the group chat where they were, some of their friends promising to meet them. Clarissa, Martin and Lily came in a few minutes after they arrived, with red-rimmed eyes. They took one look at Mick and Len and immediately pulled them into hugs, not caring that their hands were covered in Barry’s blood from holding his hands on the ride over.

Mick and Len didn’t have to heart to tell them that Barry might not survive, but based on the looks on their faces, the Steins already knew.

“Now we wait.” Clarissa said, rubbing Mick and Len’s back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: Discussions of trauma (physical and mental), hospitals, panic attack (implied)
> 
> The last chapter! Check out the end notes for possible sequel!

Barry heard the sounds before he could see anything. It was an annoying as hell beeping sound.

He opened his eyes and looked around the unfamiliar room. It wasn’t the cabin, so that was a plus, but it was a hospital, so that wasn’t great. A man and woman, who his brain supplied after a moment as Cisco and Lisa, were sleeping in chairs on his right side. He looked to his left to see Wally and Iris. They were crying, and he wanted to tell them he was okay, but he was so tired. 

His eyes slipped closed again, unnoticed by anyone in the room. 

Barry was able to wake up for good after the four time he opened his eyes. He forced them open, but immediately shut them when he realized how bright the room was. He let out a pitiful moan. His face hurt, his ankle hurt, his side hurt. Did he really get shot?

“Doll?” he heard a gruff voice say.

“Mickey?” He forced his eyes open again. “Lenny?”

Mick was sitting in a chair next to his bed, Len leaning against his side. The two of them looked exhausted. Barry’s heart shattered. He felt tears slip down his cheeks.

“Hey, Hey. No tears, Scarlet.” Len said, coming to wipe the tears spilling from Barry’s eyes.

Barry flinched slightly, which caused Len to back off right away. Though he did a good job at covering it up, Barry could see the hurt flash in Len’s eyes. 

“Sorry, Barry. I wasn’t thinking.” He whispered, sitting down in his chair, tilting his body away from Barry or Mick.

“No! You didn’t do anything wrong, I’m just a little jumpy is all.” Barry said quickly. “Please don’t move away from me, I want-I need- you and Mick close to me.” Tear stung his eyes again.

Len berated himself for being so selfish before speaking again. “Okay, Scarlet. How about I move to the other side so both me and Mick can hold one of your hands. Is that okay?”

Barry nodded. Len settled on his left and took his hand. Mick intertwined their fingers, pressing a kiss to Barry’s knuckles. All three men immediately calmed. 

Barry had a lot of questions. How long had he been out? What happened? Where is Eobard? Where is his family? But he was too tired to ask them. Instead, he enjoyed the presence of the men he thought he lost.

Mick was feeding Barry ice chips and Len was stroking his hair, mumbling his love to both of them. Barry felt himself dozing off, content to be away from Eobard.

That’s how the doctor and the Steins found them, clutching on to each other.

“Mr. Allen?” The doctor said, entering the room, Martin, Clarissa and Lily trailing behind her. “The nurses told us you were awake. I’m Dr. Gideon and I’m here to check in with you.”

Barry tried to adjust himself but immediately let out a yowl of pain. Mick and Len were immediately focused on him, hushing his cries and adjusting his pillows so he wasn’t in so much pain. 

“Oh, my poor baby.” Clarissa cooed, coming to sit in one of the empty chairs. “How are you doing, my love?” 

Barry gave her a small smile. “I’m in pain and my memory is a little fuzzy, but I’m okay.” 

The doctor nodded. “We can get you a trauma counsellor to help you with your memory. Now what would you say your pain level is?” 

Barry thought for a moment. “My side is like an 8 and my ankle hurts for some reason, like a 5.”

“That’s what a gunshot to the side and a sprained ankle will do, unfortunately.” Dr. Gideon scribbled in her file. “Okay. I think we’ll keep you overnight for some more observation, but I think you’ll make a full recovery. I’ll send you a counsellor in a few.”

The room was silent for a while, before Lily spoke up. “Everyone sends their love. They want to come visit as soon as you’re up to it.”

Barry smiled. “I can’t wait to see them.” 

There was another knock on the door. A woman who was a few years older than Barry opened the door. She smiled gently at the family before focusing on Barry. 

“Hi Barry. “I’m Dr. Amaya Jiwe. I’m a counsellor. Would it be okay if we talked for a little while?” She asked, a kind and easy air about her.

Barry nodded, suddenly slightly uneasy. He gripped Len and Mick’s hands a little tighter. Noticing this, Dr. Jiwe spoke again. 

“We can do this one-on-one, or a few people could stay with you, but I wouldn’t recommend more than two.” She said.

Barry looked like a deer in the headlights of a speeding truck. Sensing his discomfort, Clarissa stood up. “Come on Martin, let’s go get Barry some real food.”

“I’ll come with you.” Lily said, following her parents out. When she was at the door, she turned back and blew her brother a kiss before closing the door behind her.

Amaya pulled a chair to the foot of Barry’s bed. “Now, would you like to speak about what happened right away, or would you like to speak of something happy first?” 

“I think I want to save the something happy for the end. I’m going to need it.” Barry replied. “Can you pour me some more ginger ale, Mickey? My stomach is a little upset.”

Mick nodded and reached behind him for Barry’s cup. He poured some more soda into it before handing it over. Barry took a long sip before speaking again.

Barry started from the beginning, how he was doing his homework when he heard footsteps. He spoke about dialing Len’s number and how scared he was. How he felt when Thawne mentioned Mick and Len’s names. He spoke about how Eobard didn’t really hurt him, but he still felt his hands on his thighs, and his butt and his cheek. He still heard Thawne’s stupid voice purring ‘Bartholomew.’ Hs voice started to crack when he spoke about when the police got there. 

“I don’t even remember getting shot. I just put two and two together when I saw that I had a bloody gauze on the side that Thawne was digging the gun into.” He said. “I also haven’t seen my face but based on the pain, I’m guessing it’s pretty bruised up. And I still don’t even know how I sprained my ankle.”

“You tried to run when you realized he was going to shoot you.” Mick whispered, his hand tightening on Barry’s.

Barry looked at them in horror. “You were there?! Oh my god, are you okay? I’m sorry you had to see me like that!”

Mick shushed him. “it’s okay, doll. We all needed to be there.”

“All?” Barry asked. “Was everyone we know there?”

Len nodded. “Just us and the Steins, but everyone else was in a hotel nearby. Turns out Clarissa has a problem with authority and insisted that we find you ourselves.”

Barry laughed, but quickly stopped when he felt a jolt go through him. “Yeah, that sounds like her. I still don’t like that you all saw me like that though, I probably looked like a weak mess.”

It was then that Amaya decided to speak. “I don’t believe that any of your friends few you as weak, Barry. You survived something that very few could image.” 

Barry shrugged, wincing again. “Maybe, but it could have been a lot worse. He could have done a lot more.”

Amaya nodded. “Maybe, but it was still traumatic. I think we should talk about something happy now.”

“Okay.”

“How long have you three been together?” 

Barry’s face lit up while he spoke over their relationship. He rambled about their adventures and how happy he was with them. Easy and lovestruck smiles snuck onto Mick and Len’s face and a blush warmed their cheeks. 

Amaya smiled with him. They spoke a little while longer before she took her leave, scheduling an appointment with Barry at her private practice in a week.

Clarissa, Martin and Lily didn’t return right away, leaving Mick, Len and Barry alone. Barry still had so many questions, but now that he knew they had experienced so much during the past few days, he was afraid to. Eventually, he got the courage when Mick was playing with his fingers and Len was running his fingers through his hair.

“Is” He began, his voice rough. “Is Eobard-?”

He couldn’t get the question out, images flashing back through his mind, his heart speeding up and his breathing uneven. Len and Mick did their best to calm him, afraid that the nurses might come to check on him and tell them to leave if they noticed any changes in his vitals.

“He’s gone, Barry.” Len said, his voice and soothing as possible. “He’s dead. He can’t hurt you ever again.” 

Barry’s breathing slowed slightly. “H-He’s dead?”

Mick nodded. “Yeah, Doll. He’s dead. Turned his gun on the police after he hit you.”

Barry didn’t know what to do with this information. Sure, Thawne was dead and could never hurt him or anyone else again, but he would never pay for the suffering he caused. He would never pay for what he did to Barry or what he did to Sara or Bette. He was angry, but he wasn’t sure why. He should be happy! The boogeyman is gone, he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder anymore. And yet, he was furious.

“Coward.” He spit out. “Couldn’t face the consequences of his actions?”

Len let out a small laugh. “Apparently not, Scarlet. But that doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you’re okay.” 

Barry felt himself deflate, anger draining out of him. “You’re right, Lenny. I’m finally free of him.” 

Mick kissed his forehead. “You’re free of him, Red.” 

~*~  
They kept Barry for a few more days of observation, but when he was released, he went straight to the Stein house, not his dorm. Obviously, he couldn’t go back to school right away, but he wasn’t going to fall behind. Many of his professors were letting him take much of the class online and offered to send his classmates over to teach him anything he didn’t understand.

He was happy. Len and Mick often spent the night with him (something that Lily and Clarissa found increasingly amusing) and he had a steady stream of visitors during the day. Nate and Ray brought him over history books and other nerdy shit, so he wasn’t bored. Cisco and Iris spent quite a bit of time lounging around their friend’s room, watching movies or just chatting about their lives. He’d gotten closer with Sara and Oliver, both of whom went through some traumatic shit in their lives.

He was still having nightmares about all the other ways the situation with Thawne could have gone, but he was coping. He had meetings with Amaya every other week, and group therapy for trauma victims, which he was getting a lot out of. The counselor was a woman named Kendra, who was kind and helpful. Barry had even made friends with a few of the other clients there, including a girl a year younger than him named Kara, who was one of the sweetest girls he had ever met. He’d even gotten Mick and Len to with him a few times, which brought the trio even closer. 

He wasn’t perfect, but he was healing and that’s all he could do.

\--  
Barry was coming out of group therapy, hands linked with Mick and Len. He had tear tracks down his cheeks (from an especially emotional session) but a large smile on his face. 

“Can we do something fun?” Barry asked once they had gotten settled in the car. “That was a rough session for me.”

“You did great, Scarlet.” Len nodded. “What did you have in mind?”

Barry thought for a moment. “I’m not sure.”

“We should go back to Ms. Anna’s.” Mick said. “I’m sure she misses us. Between the holidays and Thawne, it’s nearly been 4 months since we’ve been back.” 

Barry’s face lit up and he started bouncing in his seat. Taking that as a yes, Mick started the short journey to the restaurant. The car ride was filled with chatter and singing along to the radio.

When they walked in, they were greeted by Barbara, the same waitress they had last time. Her red hair was tied up in a pony tail that bounced as she scurried over to them. 

“Thank god you’re here. Ms. Anna was getting impatient. She saw the news and has been asking about you three every day for months.” She said, a smile on his face.

“Well you can tell her we’re here.” Len said, laughing slightly. 

Barbara shot him a teasing look. “Oh, don’t worry. She already knows you’re here.” 

As if on cue (which it might have been. Anna was known for her dramatics), Ms. Anna came around the corner, shaking her fist slightly. “Your cute friend almost died, and you don’t come back for months?” She said in her heavy accent. “You want me in an early grave?”

Mick shook his head, patting the older woman on the shoulder. “Sorry Miss Anna.”

She looked at the three of them before a smile spread across her wrinkled face. “Okay, I accept your apologies. Now, eat.” 

She shooed them to the table they sat at when they came here last. They didn’t bother ordering, knowing Ms. Anna was going to bring them what she wanted them to have anyway. Barbara brought them some water and wine (“Ms. Anna says if you can drink in her home country, you can drink here, Barry. Enjoy the wine, it’s Lenny’s favorite.”) and the trio talked happily while they waited for their food.

When it arrived, they ate quickly, as they were starving. Meeting ran long, and they weren’t hungry before they went.

“Mickey, you have a little sauce- no, not there. Here I got it.” Len said, picking up his napkin and wiping the face of the man next to him. Before he could pull his hand back, Mick cupped his hand over Len’s and turned his face into it, pressing a gentle kiss to Mick’s palm. 

Len rolled his eyes, despite the blush. “Sap.”

Barry watched them, openly showing such raw emotion and a realization dawned on him. Something that had been brewing under the surface since they got together nearly six months ago.

“I love you both.” He said, before he could even think about it. “So much.”

All three of them paled at the sudden outpouring of emotion. Mick and Len were frozen in shock and Barry began to stumble about apologies, hoping the floor would swallow him alive. 

Len was the first to recover, taking the hand of the man across from him. “I love you too, Barry. You and Mickey make this life worth living.” 

Mick nodded. “I ain’t good with feelings, Bar, but you make me want to be better. I love you both.” 

Barry smiled giddily. “You love me?”

“I think that’s what me and Len just said, yeah.”

“You two beautiful, incredible, intelligent men, love me?”

Len rolled his eyes, his blush returning. “You’re both saps and unfortunately, I love you both.”

Barry got up and scurried around the table to kiss both men. “You love me.”

“Who wouldn’t, Scarlet?” Len said, pressing a kiss to Barry’s cheek and squeezing Mick’s hand. 

“Certainly not us.” Mick added, a large grin on his face.   
\--

In the weeks following the trip to Ms. Anna’s restaurant, they repeated those three little words at every chance they got. It never lost its charm, at least for Mick, Len and Barry. They’re pretty sure it drove everyone else nuts, but that wasn’t their problem. They were just three college students who were in love, and probably would be for a very long time. 

And even after they were no longer three college students, but rather a pediatrician, a baker, and a professor, they were still in love and still reminded everyone of that with their matching rings, their matching tattoos and their ever-growing family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it folks!
> 
> So, if anyone is interested, I was thinking of doing a sequel to this. It would expand on the last sentence of this work, meaning it would cover their professional lives as well as their growing family. Of course, there would be some angst and such (the return of a villain we've already seen... mysterious). It wouldn't happen for awhile, as I'm writing more in the 'Our Daughter 'Verse' and a new Meta!Len/Meta!Mick story, but if a sequel is something you'd be interested in, just drop me a comment.
> 
> Thanks for coming on this ride with me! 'Would You Be So Kind?' is one of my favorite things I've ever written, so the outpouring of love that I received made me incredibly happy.


End file.
